TOKYO — Among democracies in the developed world, Japan has one of the worst records of putting women in positions of political power.

Yet if, as widely predicted, Renho Murata, a member of the upper house of Parliament, prevails in a leadership contest on Thursday and becomes the first woman to lead the opposition Democratic Party, she will be the third woman to assume a high-profile political post in Japan in less than two months.

More information: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/15/world/asia/japan-women-renho-murata.html?_r=0