Summary
Japan recently elected its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, which some see as a step forward for women in leadership roles. Despite this achievement, Japan still faces challenges with gender equality. Important efforts are underway to improve women's participation in business and leadership, but significant gaps remain.
Key Facts
- Sanae Takaichi became Japan's first female prime minister in October.
- Japan ranks 118th out of 148 countries on the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index.
- Japan set a goal for 30% of leadership roles to be held by women by 2020, but delayed this target to 2030.
- Currently, women hold 11.1% of leadership roles in Japanese businesses.
- The participation of women aged 15-64 in the workforce has increased, surpassing 77%.
- On average, Japanese women earn 70-80% of what their male counterparts earn.
- Yumiko Murakami co-founded Japan's first female-led venture capital firm to support female entrepreneurs.
- Over half of female entrepreneurs in Japan reported experiencing sexual harassment in the past year.
