The noble goal of increasing the supply of doctors is, unfortunately, also what motivated the discrimination. They made this policy because they did not want li

The noble goal of increasing the supply of doctors is, unfortunately, also what motivated the discrimination. They made this policy because they did not want limited doctor spots going to women who may drop out of the workforce after 5-8 years. In Japan, most women who have a child do end up dropping out of the workforce regardless of profession. My Japanese mother once told me that women being expected to or made to work by their family is distasteful, and that women should be "treasured". Her opinion is not the overwhelming majority, but it is a sizable part of the spectrum. Regarding policy - of course the size of the class should instead be expanded to accommodate all who meet the bar, but unfortunately Japan also has issues with institutional rigidity and artificial licensure restrictions.