Thread by @UnseenJapanSite

Some people say that there's no feminism in Japan.

Here's a century-plus of prominent Japanese feminists and their work. 🧵

Kusunose Kita (楠瀬喜多), a 45-year-old widow and landowner, sued the Japanese government in 1875 and refused to pay taxes because they wouldn't allow her to vote. Her victory was short-lived but she became known as the "Grandma of Civil Rights" in Japan.

Kishida Toshiko (岸田俊子) was one of Japan's first-wave feminists. Her "Daughters in Boxes" speech in 1883 and her strong championing of women's rights were so forceful that local authorities imprisoned her.

Hiratsuka Raicho (平塚らいてう) founded Bluestockings, Japan's famous feminist literary journal, in 1911, and helped found the New Woman's Association. She made waves for her "outrageous" behavior, including living with her partner outside of marriage. unseenjapan.com/hiratsuka-raic…

Ichikawa Fusae (市川房江) founded the New Woman's Association along with Hiratsuka Raicho at a time when Japan's Article 5 forbid women from any sort of organized political activity. She would go on to serve 25 years in political office after the war. unseenjapan.com/whos-who-ichik…

Oku Mumeo (奥むめお) led the New Woman's Association after Ichikawa Fusaeu and successfully repealed Article 5, allowing Japanese women to participate in political life.

Tanaka Mitsu (田中美津) helped lead Japan's second wave of feminism after a lull in the post-war period. Tanaka rallied against the conception of women either as "a mother or a toilet" and founded the Group of Fighting Women (グループ戦う女達) to press for women's rights.

Matsui Yori (松井やより) helped bring about the 2000 Women’s International Tribunal on Japanese Military Sexual Slavery and spent much of her career reporting on sexual oppression and sex tourism in Asia.

Ito Shiro (伊藤詩織) pursued legal action afetr police and prosecutors refused to pursue her rapist. Her fight and victory belatedly brought the #MeToo movement to Japan and sparked a larger discussion about the treatment of women in Japanese society. unseenjapan.com/ito-shiori-jou…

For more on these and other extraordinary Japanese women, see our three-part series on feminism in Japan:

unseenjapan.com/feminist-movem…

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