Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan will host the ‘World Assembly for Women: WAW! 2022’ in Tokyo on Saturday, an event that has been held five times since 2014 and promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry announced that the main theme of WAW! 2022 will be “Gender Mainstreaming for New Capitalism.”

Participants from various fields in Japan and others from abroad will exchange views toward the creation of a better society in which gender equality is realized.

Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio is scheduled to deliver the opening remarks, followed by keynote speeches from Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson, President of Iceland, and Sima Sami Bahous, UN Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women.

A high-level roundtable moderated by MORI Masako, the Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan on Women’s Empowerment, will be held with the participation of cabinet-level officials.

In addition to the keynote speeches and high-level roundtable, 10 sessions will be held to discuss various policies from gender perspectives. These discussions anticipate Japan’s presidency of the G7 next year.

Special sessions on rural women and young people will be held to incorporate wider views to the discussions. In this regard, WAW! will connect 22 regional satellite venues, including Hokkaido, Aomori, Fukushima and Wakayama, with the main venue in Tokyo to allow direct participation from the regions.

WAW! 2022 will also be live-streamed online. A video recording of WAW! 2022 will also be uploaded on the website of Japan’s Foreign Ministry.