Japan women called child machines

[ggliff]

Japan's health minister has referred to women as "birth-giving machines" in a speech to a local political meeting.

[LaJon]

He added: "Although it may not be so appropriate to call them machines."

So why would you say it then? x_x

[Masabi]

brb water just broke, gonna go have my 15th child :]

but seriously this is one of the times i'm glad i dont live in japan.

[JFC]

Smart move, Mr. Minister.

[wildstarr]

heh it was somewhat a lull in judgment to call women that.  

This is a pretty big issue that has been in the news for a few years now.  It just hard to imagine a country, like Japan, has a shrinking population.

[THUNDERDUCK]

I remember when one of the TX governor candidates told women that rape is like bad weather just deal with it.

[vietstylzz]

great

[ShoujoHino]

So, raise the cost of living so that if both parents don't work, raising a child is virtually impossible, plus work the men so hard they can't even have sex with their wives. Then if the woman does have a child force her to stay home and raise it while the man doesn't come home and the child doesn't see his father. So both men and women have set roles and no real goals of their own except the ones forced on them by society.
Good going there, Japan. I'm gonna have fun watching them over the next few decades.

[sousora]

I was talking to my students today and this came up, I didn't even realise but it happened right here, where I live! Haha. It was a class full of women, so they just bitched about it for the whole time. Heh.

[Sexykago]

This sure isn't helping with the birth rate.
Nice going Shinzo Abe. Boy do I miss Juniro Koizumi!

[thatguy]

the issue isn't to degrade women to mere machines (as it's translated to the english), but to put in pragmatic terms the budding feminism that's occuring in japan. women are becoming more and more socially conscious about what kinds of roles they can play in society, and it's highly desirable for women now to postpone raising a family in order to pursue a university education, as well as securing a high-level career, among other possibilities.

in america (and many parts of the world), young women can pursue higher education and careers while still carrying the idea of "one day having a family". but (and this is an overstatement) it seems that in japan, "having a child" is a nuisance towards education and career.

i think abe's point is not to degrade women and say that they're mere machines, but to remind japan in general that women are the only human beings biologically capable of giving birth. giving life to a child is a wonderful thing. the time when a woman wants to have a child (if at all) is different from person to person, but it shouldn't be considered as being an outright nuisance. it's a natural part of humanity, and it needs to be understood on those terms.

[Damaramu]

I remember when one of the TX governor candidates told women that rape is like bad weather just deal with it.

That was Clayton Williams. I think he actually said "as long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it." :evil:

[mini*wheat]

That was Clayton Williams. I think he actually said "as long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it." :evil:

Geez.
I had an english teacher in high school that tried to convince us that there was no such thing as rape, and that if that happen, the girl was asking for it somehow.

Yeah.
She was crazy

[Maxis]

gg .. ministor .. until now the japanis press still isn't letting him off the hook and ther is still constand pressure from the cabinat to ak for him resignation ..

[Sexykago]

That was Clayton Williams. I think he actually said "as long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it." :evil:

Conservatives say the darndest things.

[dnangel]

yea, the birthrate isn't improving any recently.. they don't have enough workers to support the old now, i hear