Japan Endeavours To Foster An Inclusive & Diverse Corporate Landscape

Women in Japan have recently made several strides in the workplace. However, they continue to encounter several obstacles and difficulties as well. Japanese culture is traditionally patriarchal, a phenomenon that has carried over to the workplace as well.

Women made up 42.9% of the labour force in Japan in 2020, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, however, they remain underrepresented in executive roles and several sectors, such as technology and finance. Only 15.9% of people in managerial positions are female.

A study conducted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry found that the proportion of women serving on the boards of publicly traded firms climbed from 3.3% in 2019 to 5.5% in 2020. Even though these improvements are encouraging, they still only represent a small part of the women who hold leadership positions in Japan's business sector.

Fumio Kishida, Japan's prime minister, wants women to make up around one-third of executive positions in the top companies in the country by the end of the decade. Efforts are being made to this end and there is hope for fostering gender equality in the Japanese corporate landscape.

Celebrating the women leaders from Japan, this edition of GWL introduces readers to prolific women CEOs from the Land of the Rising Sun.

One such name is Yasuko Tanaka, CEO, S-Cube. Yasuko is a biochemistry graduate from Chiba University, is a Japanese patent attorney and business consultant specializing in pharmaceutical and chemical intellectual property. She has extensive experience in global patent prosecution, IP strategy, and cross-cultural communication, gained through roles at Teijin, Pfizer Japan, and 3M Japan.

We also feature Sonal Shah, CEO, SONAJAPAN. Sonal is a Japanese language Instructor, Corporate Trainer, Business Japanese Trainer, and TITP NSDC license Holder with over 25 years of experience working with Japanese MNCs. She holds a JLPT N2 certificate and JAPAN FOUNDATION TTC (Teacher’s Training Course) and has taught Japanese for over 6 years globally.

This magazine edition also features an in-depth interaction with Emiko Shimabukuro, CEO of All Japan Relocation. Emiko, specializing in seamless relocation services for international clients. With over 20 years of experience, she leads the company’s customer-focused, tailored solutions.

Read more about these prolific women leaders and their endeavor towards fostering an inclusive and diverse business landscape in Japan.

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