(also Kaneko Shigeri and later Yamataka Shigeri, sometimes incorrectly referred to as Shigeri Takayama) was a Japanese feminist and founder of the League for the Defense of Women's Rights. In 1952 she also took part in

Chifuren Chifuren (also National League of Regional Women's Organizations or National Federation of Regional Women's Organizations, ''Zen Nihon chiiki fujin dantai renraku kyōgikai'') is one of the largest women's organizations operating in Japan. Chifuren ...

, when it was formed, one of the largest women's organizations in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

with more than 6 million members. She was also Chifuren's President.

Biography

Yamataka was born in

Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture to ...

. She began her career in Japan as a journalist. She worked at ''Kokumin Shinbun'' and ''Shufu no Tomo''. With

Fusae Ichikawa was a Japanese feminist, politician and a leader of the women's suffrage movement. Ichikawa was a key supporter of women's suffrage in Japan, and her activism was partially responsible for the extension of the franchise to women in 1945. Early ...

, she co-founded the Women's Suffrage Union (Women's Suffrage League) in Japan in 1924. They hoped to extend suffrage to women, but when the government passed the Men's Suffrage Law in 1924, women were excluded. Despite this, the Women's Suffrage Union continued its work for many years. After the end of World War II, Yamataka continued her political activism. She worked for war pensions to be granted to widows of war veterans, and for children's rights. On August 25, 1945, Yamataka co-founded the Women's Committee on Postwar Policy (''Sengo Taisaku Fujin Iinkai''). The co-founders were Fusae Ichikawa, Tsuneko Akamatsu, and Natsu Kawasaki. The first meeting was on September 11, 1945, with over 70 women in attendance. Among the priorities of the organization were: welcoming returning soldiers, improving food production, increasing household savings, gaining suffrage for women over 20, establishing the right for women over 25 to run for office, reforming the local and central governments, and allowing women to hold jobs in the civil service. When women gained suffrage in Japan in 1945, Yamataka ran for public office and was elected twice (1962-1971) to the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, ...

, the upper house in the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

, the country's federal government. In 1952, Yamataka co-founded the National Federation of Regional Women's Organizations, known as

, in Japan. She eventually became President and remained in this role until her death in 1977. Chifuren was also active in promoting consumer protection and household economy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamataka, Shigeri Japanese feminists Female members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) 1899 births 1977 deaths Writers from Mie Prefecture 20th-century Japanese women politicians 20th-century Japanese politicians Japanese women journalists 20th-century journalists 20th-century Japanese women writers 20th-century Japanese writers Politicians from Mie Prefecture Japanese suffragists

Biography

See also

References