Women in the legal field who left their mark on Japanese history

“Tora ni Tsubasa (虎に翼),” “The Tiger and Her Wings” in English, the morning drama series aired on NHK, has grown its popularity since its broadcast this April. Based on a true story, the drama depicts the life of the heroine who became Japan’s first lawyer in the 1940s. Although the broadcast time is only 15 minutes each weekday, viewers are excited to see what happens next and are inspired by the courageous women who shaped Japan’s post-World War II democracy.

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Here are some of the women who have left their mark on the history of Japan’s legal field and played an active role in the country, including Yoshiko Mibuchi, who served as the model for the drama.

Yoshiko Mibuchi (1914-1984)

She was one of the first female attorneys in Japanese history and was also known as a pioneer for women in Japanese law. At a time when only men could become lawyers under the prevailing legal norms, women who studied law were “heretics.” As evidence of this, her mother was vehemently against her pursuit of a legal career because she believed that no one would want to marry a female lawyer, during that era, marriage was crucial for maintaining family honor.

After graduating from Meiji University, the only university offering law classes for female students at the time, she passed the bar exam in 1941 and became the first female lawyer. Later, she made history again by becoming the first female judge in the Family Court, where she focused on child welfare and human rights issues. With her passion and sense of justice, she paved the way for later female lawyers.

Hisako Takahashi (1927-2013)

She was the first female Supreme Court judge in Japan. After working for the former Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, she served as president of an association and NGO related to the improvement of women’s status and youth welfare. She was appointed as a Supreme Court judge in 1994.

During her tenure in the Ministry, she discovered extensive gender discrimination evidence within the Bureau, which later inspired her to advocate for gender equality. Although Takahashi didn’t have a law degree, she vigorously played an important role as a female leader and helped open the path for women to become Supreme Court judges.

Reiko Fuchigami (1954-)

February 2024, Fuchigami was elected as the first female chief of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations since its establishment in 1949, marking her as the first female to lead any of the country’s three judicial bodies, lawyers, prosecutors and judges. She has promoted gender equality, focusing particularly on promoting women to higher positions. During her election campaign, she made “allowing married couples to keep separate surnames” one of her campaign pledges.

These trailblazing women have not only shaped Japan’s legal history but also continue to inspire future generations to pursue justice and equality in the legal profession.