Japan politician's call for ban on women marrying after 25 sparks backlash

Naoki Hyakuta, leader of Japan’s Conservative Party, has sparked a national uproar after making remarks about women’s reproductive rights in an attempt to address Japan’s declining birth rate.

In a video posted on Friday, Hyakuta suggested that women should be banned from marrying after the age of 25 and have their uteruses removed at 30 if they had not yet had children.

Naoki Hyakuta’s comments, made as part of a proposal to address Japan’s shrinking population, included further controversial ideas, such as restricting women from attending university at the age of 18 to focus on childbearing.

These remarks immediately drew outrage from across the political and social spectrum, with many condemning them as misogynistic and dehumanising.

Sumie Kawakami, a lecturer and author on gender issues, expressed disbelief at the comments, stating that they amounted to a “call to violence against women."

Hyakuta later attempted to retract his statement, claiming the remarks were meant to be a “science-fiction storyline” rather than a serious policy proposal. However, his apology did little to quell the storm of criticism that followed.

Naoki Hyakuta's remarks were condemned by various figures in Japanese society, including from the entertainment industry. Actress Tomoko Mariya described the Conservative Party as “out of control,” while fellow actress Chizuru Higashi pointed out that the declining birth rate is more connected to socio-economic factors, such as employment and income issues, than to women’s reproductive choices.

Naoki Hyakuta’s apology has not been universally accepted. Author Issui Ogawa, a science fiction writer, rejected his framing of the comments as fictional, calling them "grotesque" and deeply troubling. Many critics see Hyakuta’s comments as indicative of a broader decline in the standards of political discourse in Japan.

Japan has long struggled with a declining birth rate, with the average number of children born to a Japanese woman falling to a record low of 1.20 in 2023. The issue has sparked numerous debates on how to address the nation’s ageing population, with many young people citing financial instability and employment insecurity as reasons for not wanting children.

Naoki Hyakuta, known for his far-right views, first rose to prominence with his 2006 bestselling novel The Eternal Zero, which glorified kamikaze pilots during World War II. His controversial stance on Japan’s wartime history, including his dismissal of the Tokyo war crimes trials, has made him a polarising figure in Japanese politics.