Podcasts History Witness History The American who put women's rights in the Japanese constitution

The American who put women's rights in the Japanese constitution

Published: Aug. 20, 2020, 11:07 a.m.

In November 1946, Emperor Hirohito proclaimed a new post-war constitution for Japan which contained clauses establishing women's rights for the first time. They were the brainchild of Beate Sirota Gordon, a young American woman working for the Allied occupying forces. Simon Watts tells her story using interviews from the BBC archives. PHOTO: Beate Sirota Gordon in Japan in 1946 (Family Collection)