Lalitpur, March 27:

A group of Japanese women journalists today interacted with Nepali women scribes on the situation of women journalists in both countries. The visiting Japanese journalists belong to Femin, a quarterly newspaper.

Nakagawa Khayoko, a Femin staffer from Oshaka branch, said some Japanese women are still unable to freely and openly fight for their rights. The newspaper was established in 1946 to raise the voice of women for their empowerment, she informed.

“Due to the women’s movement initiated by the newspaper, the Japanese women have started to come out of their houses and some have even started to work at decision-making levels in various organisations, too,” she said.

She also raised concern about suppression of women’s movement by the Japanese monarch.

“Issues such as violence against women, gender discrimination and low participation of women in politics are prevalent in Japan,” she said, adding, “We are trying to fight against the social evils through the newspaper.”

Sangita Lama, president of Working Women Journalists, said participation of women journalists is still very low in Nepali media. “They are only given soft beats like women, children, social issues, entertainment etc during their entry time, but men get a chance to write on politics, foreign affairs and conflicts,” she said.

“Due to such bias, women journalists are unable to progress in Nepal,” she added. She also urged the women journalists to enhance their capabilities so as to compete with men and establish themselves in the field of journalism.