It is regrettable that Shiori Yamao should have resigned from the Democratic Party in the wake of her extramarital affair. She was the first person in the Diet who succeeded in attracting people's attention to the shortage of child care facilities, and her image of "a representative of working mothers" was solidly established, but in the end this picture has backfired on her.
In the good old days, when Japanese society was extremely male-oriented, there was a "tacit understanding" when it came to politicians' extramarital affairs, and nobody took it for a big problem.
It is natural that Yamao should pay the price for her wrongdoings, but I hope she and like-minded people will continue to improve the environment for working mothers.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.