Women's suffrage in Japan

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Women's suffrage in Japan can trace its beginnings back to democratization brought about by the Meiji Restoration, with the suffrage movement rising to prominence during the Taisho period.^[1] The prohibition of women from political meetings had been abolished in 1922 after demands from women's organizations led by activists such as Hiratsuka Raichō and Ichikawa Fusae.^[2] The movement suffered heavy setbacks during and after the Great Depression, when support for democracy began to wane and military influence over civilians increased dramatically.^[3] The first election by universal suffrage without distinction of sex was held in 1946, but it was not until 1947, when the constitution for post-war Japan came into effect, that universal suffrage was established In Japan.^[4]