NIIGATA ¨C When anti-nuclear activist Junko Isogai ran for office in Niigata, her campaign had an awkward dimension: not just speeches and chats with constituents, but efforts to entertain potential backers.
¡°I was asked to pour sake, make flattering conversation and act in a way men wouldn¡¯t dislike,¡± Isogai, 45, a mother of two teenage girls, said. ¡°It was like being a bar hostess.¡±
Such traditional campaign practices ¡ª heavy on face-to-face interaction and personal ties ¡ª are among many barriers women face when trying to enter Japan¡¯s male-dominated politics, candidates and experts say.
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