Many countries have a problem when it comes to gender equality, but in Japan it's quite pronounced. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he wants to put more women to work to help make up for the country's shrinking population, but there is little evidence of serious progress in what has been dubbed ‘womenomics'. Of particular note, Japan has the lowest percentage of women’s political representation in the industrialised world.

Dr Emma Dalton (Japanese Lecturer in Global and Language Studies in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT) speaks to Matt Smith about why the glass ceiling is so hard to crack in Japan.

Follow Emma Dalton on Twitter: @EmmaDal1977

Follow Matt Smith on Twitter: @nightlightguy