Overview
- The review identified 102 of 203 district court branch jurisdictions as zero- or one-woman-lawyer areas during April–August 2025.
- Of those, 58 branches had no female lawyers and 44 had one, based on responses from 49 of 52 local bar associations contacted.
- The scarcity spans at least 38 prefectures, with the thinnest availability concentrated outside major urban centers.
- The shortage may limit options for survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse who prefer to consult a woman attorney.
- A 2015 Japan Federation of Bar Associations survey recorded 59 zero-woman branches, showing little change in the number with none.