When popular South Korean performer DJ Soda took to social media last summer to call out those who groped her at an Osaka music festival, she highlighted the challenges faced by women carving out their own dynamic niche in the male-dominated electronic dance music scene.
Females only accounted for around 10% of the top 100 world DJs ranked last year by British publication DJ Mag, and Japan also reflects that reality. Aspiring female disc jockeys in the country's pulsating nightlife are faced with strong gender biases.
DJ Natsumi, who first met DJ Soda nearly a decade ago while performing at a club in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, says that the tendency for women to be objectified, or worse, based on their appearance lies at the heart of the issue.