A post on China's SNS, Xiaohongshu (RED), stating 'Japan's attitude towards women is truly contradictory,' garnered a strong reaction.

The female poster said, 'Japan is truly a contradictory place. In terms of whether there is respect for women, after marriage, many women must take their husband's surname. Of course, there are also families where the husband changes to the wife's surname, but they are still a minority. In the streets, it's usually mothers (women) who are taking care of children. Sometimes they are accompanied by two, three, or even more children alone. In the past, at company drinking parties, it was an unwritten rule for female employees to attend to their superiors. These are the aspects that make me unable to like Japan.'

On the other hand, she continued, 'While it's not true that there's no consideration for women (in Japan) at all, how many other countries in the world, besides Japan, have long-term and large-scale women-only cars during rush hour? Anyone who has experienced morning and evening rush hours would know, it's truly terrifying. And in Japan's women-only cars, I feel a sense of mutual help among women. Although those cars are also crowded, the uncomfortable feeling of pressure is not that strong. No matter how many people there are, the air and smells are often clean and pleasant. Everyone is slender and petite, and their average occupied area is very small, so even when it's crowded, it doesn't feel that desperate.'

She then stated, 'There are many gender-related realities in Japan that I simply cannot like. Nevertheless, during my daily commute, I am truly grateful for the women-only cars. I believe that women-only cars truly save working women.'

In response to this post, Chinese internet users raised critical voices such as, 'Do you think women-only cars were created out of respect for women?' 'Women-only cars are not progress.' 'If there were no gropers in the first place (if women were sufficiently respected), there would be no need to install women-only cars.' 'The operation of women-only cars is administrative negligence that cannot solve problems (like groping).' and 'Women-only cars are nothing more than an outward "we're doing something" appeal.'

There were also comments like, 'Rather than showing consideration for women, it's just arbitrarily categorizing women into a group of the weak.' 'Giving special treatment is, in essence, discrimination.' 'The need to be considered implies a lack of independence and sovereignty.' Also, 'It's probably the difference between women's rights and wives' rights. Recently, it was a hot topic on Japanese internet that the enrollment rate of Chinese women in top universities is much higher than in Japan.' And, 'Japanese women's fashion is all based on male aesthetics. Everyone, without exception, adopts a pure and gentle style.'

On the other hand, comments were also seen suggesting that the status of women is improving in Japan, such as, 'The treatment of women in Japan is changing. The first part you mentioned still refers to lingering issues that haven't been fully resolved yet. The latter part refers to partial changes. It's slowly starting to change.' 'Gender equality in Japan is truly strange. The unequal points are as everyone says, but the design and quality of sanitary products are truly wonderful.' 'Japanese escalators have mirrors on the sides to prevent upskirting. I think this is a good point.' 'It's a personal feeling, but I think the percentage of men accompanying children in Japan is much higher than in China.' 'Nowadays, many men (in Japan) are taking parental leave, and I think the mindset of young people is changing.' and 'In Japan, asking about marriage or childbirth during job interviews is considered sexual harassment.'