Health minister Yanagisawa refers to women as 'birth-giving machines'

Sorry, but your whole argument is pretty much without merit, in that it tries very hard to take what is a chronic problem for Japan -- that Japan is hopelessly male dominated/controlled -- and cleverly turn that into a positive for women.
First off, your statement that many women in Japan willingly choose to be housewives is correct, so far as it goes. But we both know that that is because the actual career opportinities for women, as opposed to pink collar jobs, are next to nothing. Japan has by far the lowest percentage of female managers of any industrialized country. So, when women finally get tired of banging their heads against the glass ceiling, they become housewives. Is that something Japan should be proud of? Especially since it is thereby under-utilizing over 1/2 the population.
Second, as another poster pointed out, the women control the purse strings argument is totally nonsensical. In this way women can only have economic freedom/clout with any funds that they can secretly stash-away from the husband's paycheck. Hardly a positive thing to aspire to.
Finally, this guy's quote is so stupid, because it simply re-inforces the wide-spread sense that women are second-class citizens in relation to the men in Japan, particularly when it comes to jobs and money. If this were a socially forward country, like many western European countries are, or even America, this could possibly be excused as simply a slip of the tongue. Unfortunately, here in Japan, with all the above context, it must be viewed as a block-headed man getting caught saying how most men really feel.

 

... out of 115 countries in gender equality (Global gender gap report 2006).
I wonder if Chibi ever heard about that.

 

Yanagisawa has probably done more than any single individual to ensure that Japan`s birth rate continues to decline if not plummet with this one comment alone!

 

Why is the birth rate in Japan declining? First of all, Japan is a developed country. Being a developed country, most people are busy working. Women now a days have the ambition of being successful in life. This means they want to get rich. When you are rich, you are independent. In order to maintain your status or even to achieve the status, birth giving has become irrelevant.

Some women do believe that to bear a child is to divide your life between status and motherhood. Women will agree with me that it is easier to have one headache than two, or one ambition than two.

 

...birth giving machines.

If any Japanese machine required that much maintenence and still had that much down time the Japanese engineers would have designed the second generation model to be much more reliable...

Sorry, I had to inject a little levity into the conversation. Dang engineering humor. Bad boy, no biscuit! Probably no love life either....

Flame on!

 

how everyone rages at the guy for making a remark that he apologized for in the same breath ...

... but they don't get upset by the fact that he considers 15-year-old girls to be appropriate birth machines.

 

First of all he not only refered to women (between the ages of 15 and 50) "machines" but then went on to call them "devices" and then....he goes and says "to do their best per head." What they heck? Not only is he comparing women to industrial machinery but what is he refering children to? Some kind of mechanical robots that will be of use in the future! I think he could have picked a much better metaphor. Of course he appologizes.

Koizumi made a similar mistake last year in what sounded like he was comparing women to dogs, and that because of the "year of the dog" women should have an easier time giving birth. Yick!

Whenever is parenting going to be an issue in this country? Any idiot and PRODUCE a child, but who is going to raise him or her into a productive citizen? Obviously not the teachers or the government!!!

 

This is the time for change. Abe must make a change and show strength.. and wisdom.. a female of birth giving age.. should run the most important campaign for the government to raise the tax base.. lets have less people and better looking people and not worry about tomorrow.

 

the "birth-giving machines" and "the sperm-producing machines" must raise the child. unfortunately, i read somewhere that the japanese male concentrates purely on earning money while the japanese female takes care of the children and household.

well, mr. yanisagawa, better be nice to the japanese females from now on. there might not be any japanese on earth in the future if their females won't continue with being birth-giving machines.

 

Many of the Japanese Moms I talk with who have one or two children tell me they absolutely done with having kids, no more, no way! Their husbands are never around, they never have any time to themselves and their kid`s schools and activities are very demanding of their time and energy. To have one more kid would seriously kill them. They tell me that nobody helps eachother out. No babysitting (even the grandparents refuse to take the kids unless the mother is deathly ill) and absolutely no support from neighbors or anyone else. Often they don`t have the energy to properly dicipline their children, eventhough they do admit the kids need it. Instead they have to resort to yelling and screaming constantly or just putting their kids in front of the TV so they can get their work done. Sounds like no life to me!

On the other hand, I do believe Japan is doing well in trying to help Mothers take a breather every now and then. I noticed kids rooms at department stores and part time day care is becoming more available. Mothers just need to learn to use these services and not let it bother them that they are "taking time for themselves" for a change!

 

Mr. Yanagisawa’s comment reflects a trend in world wide cultural shift of the human value system in a current ethnocentric mindset. His expression may be limited to Japan at present because of her cultural/social norm, but his comment has a deeper meaning reflecting a so called maturity of industrial age in the post modern age. His cognitive metaphor of population control in technology world expresses the way the world is thinking relative to the solution to human population problem. Yes, his mindset is outside of the box in 2007, but the world opinions toward his are not far away.

The robotics and genetic engineering, etc., are changing the attitude of human species dictating the individual life style that is contrary to what our human nature is in the society of plenty and comfort, especially in a confined space of Japan. No, the machine is not necessary bringing the people closer on one-on-one basis. The dependence on machines for comfort will create human value system less dependent on our nature and also accelerate individuals to rely completely on the machine we create for our destiny. His comment is not only about the gender equality in Japan, but also the expression of scientific approach in solving human health problems that has existed from the beginning of the human kind. Mr. Yanagisawa’s approach is doomed to fail when we begin to rely on the machines for all the solutions. The warning is clear; the ethnocentric culture of machine driven life style replacing human creativity is clear in Mr. Yanagisawa’s voice. Both a lack of population growth and having to deal with the population growth in the world are a symptom of social ills. I think, the world should take his comment seriously.

 

This kind of talk will hold its validity in a scientific journal, amongst scientists and engineers but it has no place for public media. We are not merely numbers to reckon with, we are touchy-feely beings that you have to show
respect and concern.

Mr. Yanagisawa may have been expressing things in Engineering linggo but when he wears his public servant hat he must show respect to the humanity of his subjects and not refer to it as objects.

Your argument can be true, but that's just you and ther rest of your "world" that thinks people are becoming more adapted to a techie lifestyle. Check out third-world populations - they dont apply to your theory...and they are by the way, the majority.

 

Yes, mine alone, Mukamo. This is the purpose of blog to share one's view for everyone to hear. As for your point on the third-world populations, if I understood your point correctly, I do share that their views are important. The reality is that their views are as significant as the flow of world wide culuture (a movement in a form of amaeba if you will) is especially the influence from the captitalistic force of ideas from the countries of plenty. Each country has its own value system, but because of the world trade and flat world, we tend to adjust to what's new and trendy.

The forum at the United Nations demonstrates that the smaller nations have significant voice or at least they tend to vote that way. But the fact is that the captialism is where the world communicates in and whether we like it or not, it is important to listen to what the politicians, academicians, scientists and corporate CEO from the country of plenty like Japan says. What they say have significant impact on the population on a massive scale. This is the reason a small voice like yours is important and that is the reason I made my comment.

 

Yanagisawa, sir, who am I to criticise you. I suppose all you wanted to say is that women should be more productive. That could be easily accomplished by an environment supportive of the objective. OK, help create the environment. Take a step back from company over family. Cooperate with your colleagues and enforce labor laws allowing families to be together. FAMILIES man, that's the issue. Only that way you create offspring. If you have better ideas, let's hear them.

 

If the Japanese government needs women to produce more children and feel good about it, perhaps they can use better metaphores than "birth giving machines."

How about: "we depend on these super heroic women to SAVE OUR COUNTRY! Women choosing a lifelong career in motherhood deserve our utmost respect and appreciation! Our country`s welfare DEPENDS ON THEM and their efforts to bring in and love, care for and nurture as many children as possible for the future of this country! There is no greater occupation than this! Their efforts and self sacrifice will forever be remembered in history!"