Finding My Voice as a Japanese Woman—Why Hello Kitty Needs a Mouth
The curse of cuteness in Japan
On November 10, 2021, the second cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was inaugurated in Japan. He appointed three women as ministers out of the twenty representatives. It is a paltry 15% of women holding ministerial portfolios. This share of women ministers is the lowest among G7 nations and lower than even the worldwide average of 21.9%, which UN Women confirmed in March 2021.
The very next day, out of the 26 vice ministers, the cabinet appointed only one woman. Then, Takako Suzuki, the state minister for foreign affairs herself, defended this gender imbalance saying, “each member has a diverse background and diversity shouldn’t be judged solely by appearance.”
This is our reality in Japan. Women’s voices are still ignored as if what they say doesn’t matter. Every time I see this sort of situation, I recall that Hello Kitty doesn’t have its mouth.
My Struggles and Hello Kitty
My first purse given by my mom was a red vinyl wallet with Hello Kitty on it. I liked Kitty’s big red ribbon and carried it everywhere with me in my childhood. Many women around my age all had this wallet when they were little. We grew up with Hello Kitty around us.
