[CNN]Obviously stories of countries such as Saudi Arabia, Nepal (both self-proclaimed 'religious' states) etc. where the birth of a boy is preferred and women denied their rights are tragic. However, I would have expected better of the up and coming developing countries such as China, India and Japan.
"A few days before India's 60th Independence Day celebrations, government officials in Punjab, one of the wealthiest states of India and also the birthplace of Bhangra music, discovered dozens of female fetuses dumped in an unused well in a town called Patran." [Blogcritics]The Indian film Matrubhoomi detailed the story of a village in India where no brides could be found (all the girls were killed while still babies) for men - therefore baby girls from nearby states were married to as many as 5 men. We already know that in China and India there are many more men than women.
And now we have the Japanese celebrating the birth of a prince. Forgetting that monarchy is an unjustified age-old chronism at best, this tells the princesses that their lives weren't worth a lot - just due to their gender. Japan cannot have a female successor to the throne. I would have thought we have come far from the time where baby girls were buried alive. Not so far, it appears. Shame on the Japanese government and the royal family and their supporters.
Tags: Japan Female Rights
8 comments:
Shame on your intolerance.
On behalf of members of the shinto religion and people of Japanese ancestry I demand an immediate apology.
Apologize? For what? Opinion polls in Japan suggested that more than two-thirds of the country saw little problem with women ruling as empresses in their own right, yet the conservatives and PM have now shelved the plans to revise the Imperial Household Law.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5320224.stm
Lets not forget one Japanese prince also suggested that the prince take concubine, sometime ago.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/2005/Nov/20051110News039.asp
This fixation of having a male heir is archaic and must go.
If mezba numbers are correct 42 million Japanese people strongly disagree with you and would want you to apologize.
85 million would accept a female heir if no male was offered.
Your analysis of what the Japanese people are thinking and what they want is flawed.
You are a foreigner attempting to impose your values on 127,000,000 people. You must accept that your position is offensive to millions of individuals who have a belief and religious system very different from your own. Accept your post is in poor taste and apologize.
While I agree that women make for fine rulers (the two greatest monarchs in Canadian history have been queens, after all), I think your comparison to the killing of female babies in India is a bit much, and indeed rather offensive. I confess I don't know how it is in Japan [mental note: read relevant material], but certainly in the UK (and by extension Canada) the laws governing the succession are practically impossible to change. While I would like to see Princess Anne given the same consideration as Charles, it's really not practical.
It's quite likely that in Japan the legislators would rather not make such a change unless they have to, because it's otherwise more trouble than it's worth.
42 million people would want me to apologize! I doubt if even 42 Japanese read this blog.
The way I see it, women are denied certain rights in name of religion and culture. That's wrong. Birth of a boy is prefered over birth of a girl. That is VERY wrong.
I compared the situation with India because due to cultural and other reasons, people want a baby boy, therefore girls are disposed of (in rural communities). I would expect the Japanese royals to set an example for their subjects. Yet they are perpetuating this stupidity.
Your position is so very offensive and still you attempt to defend yourself.
The internment of Japanese Canadian occurred under Liberal Party rule.
Brian Mulroney rectified this wrong by apologizing to people of Japanese descent during his tenure.
Today Liberal activists via this internet blog continue to sadly attack the Japanese people.
It is clear that the "big tent" of the Liberal Party is not big enough for traditional Japanese families living in Canada.
As with many expartriate communities - Japanese Canadian families meet at community events and in eachother's homes. Much discussion will ensue in homes and community meetings I attend in an effort to discuss which party should be supported in general elections.
It appears that the "tolerant" "accepting" and multicultural Party of Pierre Elliott Trudeau has been replaced by the "politically correct" party which is unaccepting of cultural traditions and religious beliefs.
Mezba has nothing to apologize for - I am one hundred percent behind his comments.
Mezba, one of the really miraculous things about nature is the staggering balance of numbers between men and women - it's almost like nature has a scoreboard to keep things even.
I too am concerned about the "shortage", for want of a better word, of women in India and China - it's a bad sign for the future of women's rights there.
I share your surprise at a modern Japan giving more cheer to the birth of a boy than of a girl.
ocwjf, anyone of any race or origin who celebrates the birth of a boy and is disappointed at the birth of a girl needs to seriously examine their values and priorities.
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