The 11th English Oratorical Contest for the University of Tokyo ESS Trophy

Script

Gender inequality exists in any given society.  Japan in not an　exclusion.  Women are suffering from the unfairness between men and women.  To empower these Japanese women, the ideas from bushido, which was originally created to oppress women, can be used.  In order to allow that to happen in contemporary time, the history and values of bushido and how the spirits of bushido oppressed women needs to be understood.  Also, one needs to recognize the problems with modern day gender inequality and the actions female leaders are taking to change the world as well as how the core concepts of bushido can be retrofitted to empower Japanese women.  

 

Bushido is the soul of the Japanese samurai.  It teaches how men should live their lives.  Some of the virtues in this code include justice, courage, politeness, honesty, loyalty, and veracity.  An ideal samurai was supposed to be unafraid of death.  The only motivation to become a true samurai was the fear of dishonor to his daimyo, or feudal lord.  The bushido code, however, only dictates how men should live.  The women of this time were housewives and their main role was to take care of the house.  It was impossible for women to even think about becoming a part of society as a samurai.  In the Edo period, daughters of samurais were the most likely to receive education, but it was usually restricted.　　They were only taught basic written Japanese characters and were not allowed to read political papers.　　Teachers instructed them in their household duties.  The rights of women were limited, and they were treated like semi-slaves by their husbands.  A woman was expected to submit to male authority, either to her father, husband, or sons.  No matter what women did or contributed to society, they were never ranked higher in the social order than the men around them.

 

Unfortunately, this stereotypical idea of men having more power and being ranked higher than women can still be found today.  In Japan, the Equal Employment Opportunity Law was enacted in 1985. This law prohibits any gender discrimination in offices and makes sure women and men are treated equally.  This law was supposed to help women earn as much as men by getting rid of the inequality between the two genders.  However, even with this law there are still many differences and inequalities.  Some people think men are better than women when it comes to work and women should just stay home as housewives.  This idea is the same as how women were treated in the Edo period.  Throughout the years women have gained more power and rights, but current research shows that men still earn more than women who work the same jobs as men.  According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), in 2015 every country had some inequality between men and women.  Japan was ranked 101st out of 145 countries and is one of the lowest ranked developed countries in the world.  Some say that at this rate, it would take hundreds of years to completely close the gap.  Another problem for Japan is that there are very few women who participate in the government compared to other countries. 

 

It is obvious that gender is keeping competent women from being promoted to a higher position.  However, these past months have witnessed more women’s promotion to higher posts as prominent leaders all around the globe.  To name a few, for example, Japan elected, Yuriko Koike, as the first female governor of Tokyo.  Also, the mayor of Yokohama, Fumiko Hayashi, is also a female.  In the United Kingdom, Theresa May became the prime minister and Angela Merkel has been the chancellor of Germany since 2005.  As evidenced by these examples, more women have the power, knowledge, and the strength to lead their countries.

 

The glass ceiling that has kept women down for centuries is starting to crack.  But women cannot achieve gender equality alone.  Everyone needs to be involved to end inequality, including men.  Both women and men need to be advocates for change.  Men have to understand the problems women are dealing with to be treated equally.  We must stop stereotyping genders and accept the fact that women are no different than men. 

 

The lives of women have improved greatly in the last couple centuries, but I believe there are some ideals that still remain important for both men and women: being courageous, polite, loyal and honest.  All of these are the virtues written in bushido.  The roles and social orders of women and men have changed, but the soul of samurai has not.  Moreover, these concepts are not only for men but also for women.  Women need to have the soul of samurai to break through that glass ceiling to change the world where men are considered to be more powerful.  Regardless of what color, economic or political status, everyone should have equality and human rights.  Both genders deserve equal treatment and opportunities because neither gender is more powerful than the other.  Without fail, women leaders around the globe, perhaps women samurais, will continue to show the world what women are capable of doing with the soul of a samurai.