The government has a goal of raising the ratio of women running in national elections to 35% by 2025, but two-thirds of active female lawmakers think it will be hard to achieve, a recent Kyodo News survey showed.
The pessimistic outlook came from 66% of the survey's respondents as many of them cited a stereotypical view in Japan that politics is men's business and the difficulty of balancing being a mother, wife and politician as two of the main reasons.
The goal could be reached with concerted efforts by each political party, 26% of the respondents said.