Japanese cabinet ministers on Friday approved the scrapping of a law that stipulates women pregnant at the time of a divorce must wait 100 days before marrying again.
The law, in place for more than a century, does not apply to men and was originally intended as a way to aid the identification of the father who is financially responsible for a newborn baby.
Critics have campaigned for a withdrawal of the 1896 law -- which had banned remarriage for six months until being revised in 2016 -- calling it outdated and discriminatory.
The change will also remove a rule that grants parents the right to "discipline children to whatever necessary extent".
The government will submit the revised civil code to the current parliamentary session that ends on December 10 and the change is expected to be enacted in 2024 if passed, local media said.
Japan consistently ranks low in the World Economic Forum's annual Global Gender Gap report, which takes political empowerment into account as well as health, education and economic participation. In 2022, the country was placed 116th out of 146 ranked.
Two years ago, the government delayed an almost two-decade-old target for at least 30 percent of leadership positions in business and politics to be held by women.
A new five-year plan said efforts would be made to meet the target by 2030 instead of the end of 2020.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Pathetic To See Pregnant Women In 'Dolis' In The Age Of AI: Chandrababu Naidu Japanese Prefecture Passes New Law Encouraging Residents To Laugh Daily Japan Top Court Rules Eugenics Law Unconstitutional, Victims Seek Justice 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing Mob Vandalised Kolkata Doctor Rape Murder Case Crime Scene? Cops Respond Ayatollah Khamenei Warns Of "Divine Wrath" If Iran Backs Down Against Israel Independence Day: Viral Video Shows Indians, Pakistanis Singing 'Jai Ho' "I Am With You...": Bengal Governor After Doctors Say They Feel "Insecure" Thousands To Attend PM Modi's Indian Community Meet In US Next Month: Report Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.