This picture taken on October 23, 2024 shows Akane Tanaka Schneider walking with her dog sat a park in Ome city, the western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis. The insularity of rural Japan was stifling for Tanaka Schneider, who grew up in Niigata and now runs a small business on the outskirts of Tokyo. "I was lucky to grow up in an environment where it was natural for me to make my own decisions," including periods spent abroad or working for an NGO, she said. "But when you look at the whole of Japan, a majority of women don't seem to have that," and instead are pressured by social norms to get married and have children. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP) / To go with 'JAPAN-VOTE-GENDER-WOMEN, PENPIX' by Kyoko HASEGAWA and Harumi OZAWA (Photo by PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images)