Sohei Kamiya, leader of Japan's Sanseito party, and party members, including election candidates, raise their hands during an election campaign event in Tokyo on Tuesday. By Kyoko HASEGAWAThe proportion of women running in Japan's general election next month has barely advanced, reports said Wednesday, despite a trailblazing win last year by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The proportion of women candidates within Takaichi's ruling LDP is just 12.8 percent, down by more than three percentage points since the last election, Jiji Press reported. Meanwhile, the opposition isn't highlighting the presence of women and diverse candidates as a party advantage, Tsuji said. Despite promising "Nordic" levels of representation in her government, Takaichi named just two other women in her 19-strong cabinet.