In 2023, around 30 percent of men in Japan took paternity leave. The share of fathers taking childcare leave jumped significantly, nearly doubling from the previous year. Parental leave in Japan Japan has a comparably generous parental leave system, which entitles mothers and fathers to up to one year of paid leave. However, while over 84 percent of mothers made use of their right, the share of fathers taking paternity leave remained small. A sudden increase occurred in 2020, likely driven by changing work styles during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Yet, rigid business culture and traditional gender norms that ascribe the responsibility for childcare and housework to women stood in the way of the government’s aim to increase the fathers’ parental leave take-up to 30 percent by 2025. In 2023, however, the paternity leave acquisition rate increased significantly. Amendments to the childcare leave system Rigid gender norms and a work culture that discourages men from taking childcare leave, in addition to a lack of childcare facilities and support for families, often leaves the burden of childcare solely on women. As a result, many women in Japan drop out of the workforce after childbirth. To address Japan’s pressing problem with declining birth rates, an amendment of the childcare leave system took effect in 2022, aimed at facilitating parental leave for mothers and fathers. The amendment made the existing system more flexible and introduced an additional paternity leave system for fathers directly after childbirth. In addition, it required companies to inform employees of their rights and report on the use of parental leave.

In Japan, the population sex ratio has seen slight changes over the past decades. In 2021, the number of men was around 94.6 for every 100 women, constituting a decrease from 96.1 in 1950.

What is the sex ratio? The population sex ratio is determined by the sex ratio at birth, different mortality rates between men and women, as well as losses and gains through migration. In the absence of alteration, the sex ratio in human populations is quite constant, with only minor deviations. While the sex ratio at birth is usually 105 to 107, the population sex ratio, which refers to the total number of males for every 100 females, is often below 100. The reason for the shift mostly lies in differing lifestyles and physical constitutions of men and women. In general, women tend to be more resistant to disease throughout life, while men tend to engage in higher risk behavior or violence.

Influences and consequences
The sex ratio at birth and its possible determinants such as gestation environment, climate change, chemical pollution or socio-economic factors have long been subject to scientific research. Recently the impact of natural disasters, like the nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, was presumed to influence the sex ratio at birth. The adult gender ratio has long been recognized as a key population-level determinant of behavior. However, there are many different or competing theories in existing literature about the social impacts of gender imbalance on topics such as violence, family stability, reproduction etc.

According to a survey on gender equality conducted between November 2022 and January 2023, over ** percent of female respondents in Japan found that men in general received preferential treatment in society. Male respondents agreed with this statement to ******** degree.

Japan: Ratio of female to male students in secondary school: The latest value from 2019 is 1 percent, unchanged from 1 percent in 2018. In comparison, the world average is 1.00 percent, based on data from 119 countries. Historically, the average for Japan from 1971 to 2019 is 1.02 percent. The minimum value, 1 percent, was reached in 2018 while the maximum of 1.02 percent was recorded in 1972.

Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) in Japan was reported at 76.75 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (national estimate) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

SHE: All Japan: Exp: Clothing: Japanese Clothing: Men & Women data was reported at 225.000 JPY in Sep 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 211.000 JPY for Aug 2018. SHE: All Japan: Exp: Clothing: Japanese Clothing: Men & Women data is updated monthly, averaging 642.000 JPY from Jan 2002 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 201 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,862.000 JPY in Mar 2003 and a record low of 178.000 JPY in Apr 2018. SHE: All Japan: Exp: Clothing: Japanese Clothing: Men & Women data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistical Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.H069: Survey of Household Economy: All Japan.

As of October 2024, the total male population in Japan was estimated at around 60.18 million people. With an estimated 24.1 million men by 2120, the data indicated a population drastic decrease compared to 2024.

Women are extremely underrepresented in Japanese political life. One possible reason for this is that voters are biased against women. Compared to American voters, to what extent are Japanese voters opposed to women political leaders? What kinds of stereotypes do they have about women politicians? To answer these questions and probe the external validity of American studies on this topic, we conducted a survey that elicits respondents’ attitudes toward women political leaders. First, our list experiment outcomes revealed that approximately 10% of Japanese, and 20% of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) supporters, oppose a woman becoming prime minister. Second, we also identified respondents’ gender stereotypes by asking them directly about their impressions of politicians, which revealed that Japanese voters have strong stereotypes for men and women politicians regarding their policy areas of expertise and personal characteristics. These stereotypes are strongest among men and older voters as well as voters who support the LDP. Our findings have broad implications for the literature on gender and politics beyond the study of Japanese politics.

In 2023, the total population in Japan slightly decreased to just below *** million people compared to the previous year, with the female population reaching around **** million, as compared to **** million men. The oldest population in the world  Japanese society is facing severe demographic problems such as decreasing birthrates, remaining under *** million births annually recently, and a thereby aging population. The country’s average age lies at around ** years, making its population the oldest in the world. Elderly people aged 65 years and older accounted for about ** percent of the population in 2023. According to a forecast, this age group would make up approximately ** percent of the Japanese population by 2070. Challenges with the demographic shift The rapid aging of the society poses significant economic and sociopolitical challenges to the country, as the workforce will continue to shrink while increasingly more elderly will receive long-term support. Currently, close to ***** million Japanese require long-term care, leading to national benefit expenses of over ** trillion yen annually, including in-home and community-based services.

Population, female (% of total population) in Japan was reported at 51.22 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Population, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (modeled ILO estimate) in Japan was reported at 77.24 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Ratio of female to male labor participation rate - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in Japan was reported at 0.97388 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Ratio of female to male tertiary enrollment - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in Japan was reported at 1.0025 % in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Ratio of female to male primary enrollment - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In a survey conducted in August 2022, around **** percent of male respondents in Japan agreed with the statement that men should work and financially support the household, reflecting the traditional image of men as breadwinners. A similar share of men supported the statement that women have feminine sensibilities.

Graph and download economic data for Ratio of Female to Male Primary School Enrollment for Japan (SEENRPRIMFMZSJPN) from 1971 to 2019 about primary schooling, enrolled, females, males, ratio, primary, and Japan.

Only around one in five men and women in Japan had ****** skin, according to a survey conducted in November 2023. Over ** percent of male respondents identified their skin type as *** skin, while *********** skin was the most prevalent type among female respondents.

There were 55 453 200 Instagram users in Japan in November 2024, which accounted for 44.5% of its entire population. The majority of them were women - 57.7%. People aged 18 to 24 were the largest user group (14 800 000). The highest difference between men and women occurs within people aged 25 to 34, where women lead by 5 600 000.

There were 15 883 200 Messenger users in Japan in September 2023, which accounted for 12.7% of its entire population. The majority of them were men - 54.2%. People aged 35 to 44 were the largest user group (4 200 000). The highest difference between men and women occurs within people aged 45 to 54, where men lead by 2 300 000.

There were 61 700 000 Facebook users in Japan in May 2025, which accounted for 49.5% of its entire population. The majority of them were women - 55.9%. People aged 25 to 34 were the largest user group (14 500 000). The highest difference between men and women occurs within people aged 25 to 34, where women lead by 6 200 000.

There were 40 880 000 Instagram users in Japan in August 2021, which accounted for 32.8% of its entire population. The majority of them were women - 61.1%. People aged 25 to 34 were the largest user group (10 400 000). The highest difference between men and women occurs within people aged 25 to 34, where women lead by 3 700 000.