Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to further promote women's empowerment initiatives next year when Japan hosts the summit of the Group of Seven industrialized nations.
"Japan will push the agenda on women forward vigorously when it holds the presidency of a G-7 summit next year," Abe said Sunday in an address to a U.N. meeting on gender equality and women's empowerment in New York.
Abe was referring to the Ise-Shima summit slated for May in Mie Prefecture, which will bring together the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.