I loved this story on the BBC following the release of government papers due to the ’30 year rule’.

“If other delegation leaders, for example are each being assigned 20 karate gentlemen, the Prime Minister would have no objection to this; but she does not wish to be singled out. She has not had in the past, and does not have now, any female Special Branch officers.”

It was quite an interesting story, because it seems to show that the Japanese government and I guess society in general was not sure how to treat a female in a position of power. Things have obviously moved on since then…