ニュース 2010/11/11 Nakabayashi attends APEC Commemorative Symposium on advancement of women On November 11, the APEC Commemorative Symposium on the theme of “Sustainable Development Supported by Women’s Advancement in Society” was held in Yokohama City. Assistant to the Chair of the DPJ Public Relations Committee and Vice Director-General of the International Department, member of the House of Representatives Mieko Nakabayashi, attended the symposium and reported from the venue. At the start of the symposium, the Mayor of Yokohama City, Fumiko Hayashi made an address on behalf of the host city. A video message from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also played. Nakabayashi said, “Six hundred and fifty people have gathered for this meeting, and more than half of them were young women. The theme was the social advancement of women. The symposium was attended by five woman Diet members from the DPJ. Through this symposium we were able to confirm the efforts made by individual women and the need for social systems to be adapted to support such efforts. Such an appeal was made to the international community and we would also like to see it thoroughly implemented here in Japan.” In addition to Nakabayashi, DPJ woman members of the House of Councillors Hiroe Makiyama and Kumiko Aihara, and DPJ members of the House of Representatives Mari Kushibuchi and Kayako Isogai also participated in the symposium. APEC Woman Leaders Network Meetings, which are attended by participants from both the public and private sectors, are held on a yearly basis, but APEC 2010 was the first to hold an APEC Women’s Entrepreneurship summit, co-hosted by Japan and the United States, in Gifu city on October 1. This summit emphasized the importance of (1) setting up programs to create links between woman entrepreneurs and business, (2) creating an environment that will facilitate the provision of credit, and (3) promoting liaison between the public and private sectors.