Female candidates account for record 24.4% in Japan lower house poll

TOKYO - A record 24.4 percent of candidates for Japan's House of Representatives election on Feb. 8 are women, up 1.0 percentage point from the previous lower house election in 2024.

A total of 313 women are running in the election, compared to 314 in 2024. However, the proportion still falls short of the goal of having nearly equal numbers of male and female candidates, as mandated by the country's law promoting gender equality in politics.