LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Several months ago, I mentioned I would be addressing the gender question in a future article. I received several letters urging me to do so. A couple of correspondents, however, argued that the question of women is a purely domestic affair and not relevant to the theme of "Japan in the global era." From various perspectives, though, the issue of women is global.

In the concluding piece I wrote for the Evian Group Compendium of Policy Briefs on global and domestic governance, I indicated under the subheading "the prevalence of global injustice and inequality" that "one of the greatest divides that has developed in recent decades has been in the condition and status of women."

Though there remains a great deal to accomplish in achieving full equality and in abolishing all the forms of discrimination against women in the West, many of which are highly pernicious, considerable progress has been achieved. There are trends converging in the same direction in other parts of the world.