Ms. Yoiko Ando has been a lawyer in Japan and a member of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA) since 1970. Along with her husband, Ms. Ando runs a small firm in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, where they practice general civil and criminal practice. She has substantial experience in various areas of family law primarily, but not exclusively, from the perspective of women in divorce, custody, child support, visitation rights, and the distribution of marital assets cases. Included in these cases have been many instances where female clients have suffered from domestic violence.

 In addition to her work as a practicing attorney, Ms. Ando has served consistently as a member of the Committees on Gender Equality and on International Human Rights of the JFBA, serving as chair of both committees, with an emphasis on gender issues. As such, she has authored and co-authored numerous JFBA opinion papers and reports, and has organized symposiums and other official conferences related to the elimination of discrimination against women and the promotion of the status of women both domestically and internationally, which include several presentations before UN bodies. In 2001, Ms. Ando was involved in the enactment of the Act for the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims and has participated in the drafting of subsequent revisions thereafter.

 Ms. Ando received her law degree from Chuo University in Tokyo, Japan. Her most recent publication is entitled, “Gender perspectives on the March 11, 2011 Earthquake and Fukushima Nuclear Crisis” (IGI Global/Journal 2012).