Last weekend the Cabinet Office released the results of its latest gender-roles survey, which it has been carrying out irregularly since 1979. About 3,500 adult men and women offered their opinions about who should be in charge of the home and who should do the breadwinning. The results were reported by all the major newspapers, which concluded that Japanese society was becoming more accepting of the idea that it is alright for married women to work outside the home.
A closer look at the results reveals something less clear-cut, but there was a news story last week that put the issue in proper perspective.
On Feb. 1, enka singer Masako Mori was rushed to the hospital, where she was treated for what the tabloids initially called a drug overdose. Apparently, Mori had been under a lot of stress and was given medication to help her cope, but, for whatever reason, she took too much.