No Black woman has ever been elected governor, and no Black women currently serve in the U.S. Senate. But some candidates are hoping to change that.

This is the first election since the enactment of the Act on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field, which calls on parties to make the numbers of male and female candidates as even as possible in Japan's elections. But the figures suggest Japan faces a rocky road to achieving this ideal.

A rape on a commuter train near Philadelphia has prompted outrage for its lack of bystander intervention; passengers saw the assault in action—some even pointing their phones at the rapist—but no one called 911. Experts say changing social norms of the pandemic may have contributed to this case of the bystander effect, with people "retreating into their own corners."

The nine-person short list for the job included five women and four men, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information act. Just one person on the list were from an ethnic minority. The job went to Huw Pill, a former chief economist at Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Lisa Byington, the league’s first full-time female play-by-play broadcaster, with the Milwaukee Bucks, said she’s proud but hopes the novelty has a short shelf life.