While the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party hope the furor over misogynist comments will swiftly blow over, others are continuing to press for a crackdown on discriminatory behavior in politics.
On Thursday in Tokyo around 100 people participated in a workshop organized by Change.org, an online petitions platform, which hosted a widely supported petition urging the Tokyo assembly to drive sexism out of politics after revelations that Tokyo lawmaker Ayaka Shiomura was subjected to sexist slurs from fellow members while speaking.
Begun by a 28-year-old man, the petition gained more than 90,000 digital signatures in four days. It added to the pressure on a reluctant LDP and Tokyo assembly to take action.