Local News

Fukuoka’s Cute Ward Threatened

City Hall has received several complaints from citizens that its virtual seventh ward, Kawaii-ku (“Cute Ward”), is sending the message that “women must be cute”. The City’s Gender Equality Promotion Council (chaired by Fukuoka University part-time lecturer Chisako Fujii) entered discussions to ask the city to remedy the situation. At a meeting held on Feb. 7, one of the council members said the initiative “fails to take gender equality into account”, and others present demanded the review or abolishment of Cute Ward. Over 40,000 people have registered as “residents” of the virtual ward, whose founding made headlines nationwide, but now its existence hangs in the balance. Cute Ward was established last August to promote Fukuoka’s tourism and fashion industries, and AKB48 member Mariko Shinoda was appointed the “leader” of the ward. The City spent ¥10 million on the project, and the ward’s homepage contains claims such as “They say Fukuoka’s women are beautiful and cute”. The City received four complaints from local residents who said the project “violates the spirit of gender equality” and “shouldn’t be taxpayer-funded”, so it asked the Gender Equality Promotion Council to look into the matter. A three-person panel was established to examine the complaints and found that the department in charge of the Cute Ward project failed to consult with the Council beforehand. One member demanded the scrapping of the ward by stating, “Not only could this project end up promoting gender role stereotyping, there were procedural issues with its establishment.” The other two recommended Cute Ward be overhauled into “a project that most residents can agree with”. The panel will meets again on the 21st to compile the Council’s final report. A spokesperson for the City’s Strategic Public Information Department, which runs the project, said, “We use the word “kawaii” to refer to unique forms of expression and warm-heartedness, not appearance, but if this idea is not being properly conveyed, then we will consult on the wording with the relevant departments.” Nishinippon Shimbun, Feb. 8

Read more about Kawaii-ku in English here: http://fukuoka-now.com/2013/01/kawaii-means-business/

Category
Politics
Published: Feb 9, 2013 / Last Updated: Apr 1, 2016

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