Ivanka Trump, a Media Darling in Japan, Draws Light Turnout in Tokyo
Josh Raffel, a White House spokesman, said Ms. Trump’s speech “was the most registered event” at
the conference “but security delayed everyone from being able to get into the room on time.”
Kyoko Hokugo, director of the gender mainstreaming division at Japan’s Foreign Ministry, said
that registration for the event was high, but “it was unfortunate that there were several people who could not enter the room during the speeches of Prime Minister Abe and Ms. Ivanka Trump.
She said Prime Minister Abe is smart and advised Mr. Trump to listen to him.”
Ms. Trump’s appearance at the World Assembly for Women added a touch of celebrity glamour to the event,
and was consistent with Mr. Abe’s approach to female empowerment, in which public gestures have outstripped genuine change.
And while Mr. Abe said that 1.5 million more women have joined the work force since he became prime minister five years ago, making women about
45 percent of the total in Japan, more than half of them work in part-time jobs with lower benefits and fewer hopes of career advancement.
She is a role model for women.” Maina Tanaka, 33, a financial trade dealer, said
that she appreciated Ms. Trump’s “fair views on politics and economy” and that she respected how Ms. Trump “stays positive and gorgeous.”
Mieko Nakabayashi, a professor of politics at Waseda University, said Ms. Trump’s glamour would draw attention to the cause of women.
Still, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is one of Mr. Trump’s closest allies among world leaders
and Mr. Abe has steadfastly supported the Trump administration in its aggressive stance toward North Korea.
