The Party's Headquarters for the Promotion of Women in Society (Chairperson: Yoko Kamikawa, member of the House of Representatives), the Special Committee for Promotion of Women's Vitality (Chairperson: Hirokazu Matsuno, member of the House of Representatives), the Cabinet Division (Director: Tsukasa Akimoto, member of the House of Representatives) and the Health, Labor, and Welfare Division (Director: Shuichi Takatori, member of the House of Representatives) held a joint meeting on October 8 to discuss and approve a "policy package that gives all women the opportunity to shine" and the "Bill for the Promotion of the Role of Women in the Workplace" to be submitted by the government to the current session of the Diet.

The policy package includes all of the policies and programs to be implemented by the government between now and next spring and emphasizes the idea that "creating structures and mechanisms to facilitate the lives of women will lead to a society in which both women and men can shine," and calls on men to take an active role in the making..

The government has a stated goal of increasing the percentage of women in leadership positions to 30% by 2020. To achieve this, the package includes measures to support the hiring of women to full-time positions after they have left the workforce for childbirth and child rearing, enhancements to temporary day care services, and enhancements to living environments for households with children.

Relevant legislation requires employers to monitor (1) the percentage of women in new hires, (2) gaps in years of service between men and women, and (3) the percentage of women in management positions, as well as to publish "action plans" containing measures to encourage the hiring and promotion of women.

Members in attendance expressed the opinion that it was "necessary to create workplace environments that place value on women who give birth and raise children."