Nursery School Rejected, Die Japan!!!

One anonymous blog post shook Shinzo Abe administration. Supposedly a mother who had a little child dropped in entrance judgment of a nursery school submitted her frustration with harsh words in February. While Abe tried to ignore the voice, many mothers in the same situation gathered around the National Diet Building and started demonstration. They demonstrated how Abe’s policy for women sounded empty.

The blog post was uploaded in mid-February by a business woman in her thirties living in Tokyo. “What the hell, Japan. Isn’t it a society of one hundred million dynamic engagement? My kid was clearly dropped in entrance judgment of a nursery school yesterday. Whatcha gonna do? I can’t be engaged,” described the mother.

She seemed to have accurate knowledge on Abe’s policies. She urged Japanese government to settle more nursery schools, criticizing woman scandal of former lawmaker who declared to have kid-raising recess, money scandal of former Minister in charge of Trans-Pacific Partnership or accumulating cost for constructing new Olympic stadium and guarantee to famous architecture. She requested monthly ¥200,000 of subsidy for each mother with child, if the government would not increase nursery schools.

When a female lawmaker, Shiori Yamao, Democratic Party of Japan, introduced this blog in her discussion in Budget Committee of House of Representatives last month, Abe answered that he could not reconfirm whether it is true or not. Lawmakers with Liberal Democratic Party yelled that Yamao’s argument based on anonymous blog post was empty.

But, it was not empty. This attitude of Abe and LDP ignited anger of mothers. Responding to a woman who demanded a society in which mothers could safely leave her child, over twenty thousands of signature was submitted to a website. Mothers gathered in front of the Diet building, raising banner reading “It’s me who was rejected.” The message was straightforward answer to Abe, who questioned miserable situation of working mothers.

As one of new three arrows of Abenomics, Abe raised a goal to increase nursery schools for up to 500 thousands of kids. But with swelling expectation for policy, the number of applicants for nursery school increased, resulting in greater number of waiting kids. Most of those mothers are benefitted by Abenomics, which have mainly been targeted to major corporations. This is an effusion of social frustration with uneven policy of Abe administration.