Sayaka Osakabe
Sayaka Osakabe (小酒部 さやか) | |
|---|---|
Sayaka Osakabe receives the International Women of Courage Award in 2015 | |
| Born | May 29, 1977 Japan Kanagawa |
| Occupations | Art director, women's activist, entrepreneur, businesswoman, and politician |
| Years active | 2014 – present |
| Known for | Women's activist
Founder of specified nonprofit corporation: MATAHARA NET. Founder and president of: NATURAL RIGHTS Co. Ltd. Yokohama City Assembly Member representing Aoba Ward |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic Party (自由民主党) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | 2015 International Women of Courage Award |
| Honours | Guest Speaker at APEC 2023 Women and the Economy Forum (in Seattle) |
| Website | https://www.osakabe-sayaka.com |
Sayaka Osakabe (小酒部 さやか, Osakabe Sayaka; born May 29, 1977) is a Japanese women's rights activist and politician. She is known for popularizing the term: "matahara" (referring to the act of harassing pregnant employees and forcing them to quit their position at work) and raising awareness in Japan that acts of matahara are illegal. She was a 2015 winner of the US State Department's International Women of Courage Award. In April 2023, Osakabe was elected to the City Assembly of Yokohama, representing the Aoba Ward.