A New Woman Of Japan: A Political Biography Of Kato Shidzue

by Helen M. Hopper

This perceptive, detailed biography traces the life of Kato Shidzue, one of Japan's most powerful female activists and politicians. It provides a richly documented and engaging view of women's issues and political life in Japan.

336 pages, Paperback

First published December 20, 1995

Reviews

[Abby Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I likes it enough! Interesting read on the birth control movement in Japan but I was reading it for a book review for class so If you want to know more about it I’ll send you my 9 page paper LMAO

[Tash Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written biography that explores the political structure, and problems women faced in both Pre-war Japan and Japan's postwar Diet. You could read this if you were interested in Kato Shidzue or Japanese politics and enjoy and learn from it either way. Hopper has done well to avoid the stuffiness many politically focused biographies encounter without sensationalising events.

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite contrary to what we have been studying at the Japanese sociology course, this book uncovers an independent women rights movement which existed since the beginning of 1920ies in Japan and its founder Hirota/Ishimoto/Katou Shizue. I was surprised however that the movement in the first decade after the war was more progressive than its counterpart and inspiration in USA. The book also gives an interesting insight on the swiftness of pendulum effect in politics, because all the major changes in women's rights legal landscape in Japan were made in such a short time, then followed by a long history of conservative measures and lack of true solutions for women equality in the workplace etc.

A very good complement to a Japanese sociology class, as usual.

[De Yu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kato does pursues an ultra liberal agenda disguised as "socialism," and the author calls her brave. It's stuff like this that made Japan collapse into right-wing nonsense and neoliberal shredding of people's rights. Say you're a socialist; back the LDP. Say you're in favor of freedom, democracy, etc.; back neo-imperial regimes. Say you're for women's rights; forget about women of the lower class.