In 2003 Japan set a goal of achieving 30 per cent representation of women in leadership positions in all areas of society by 2020. This target, known as ‘2020–30’, was set by the administration of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi and was pledged internationally by former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2014.

According to Cabinet Office data, the percentage of female executives in Japan’s prime market-listed companies was 10.7 per cent in 2020 and remained at just 11.4 per cent as of July 2022. This was far lower than France (45.2 per cent), the United Kingdom (37.2 per cent) and the United States (31.3 per cent). There is still a long way to go for Japan to achieve its goal of 30 per cent of women in leadership positions.

In April 2023, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed relevant ministers to consider specific measures for fostering a more inclusive and diverse corporate landscape. On 13 June, the government issued the Key Policy for Promoting Women’s Participation and Gender Equality, which sets the goal of ‘achieving a female executive ratio of 30 per cent or more in Japan’s prime market-listed companies by 2030’.

Read more at: https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2023/07/25/aiming-to-increase-womens-leadership-in-corporate-japan/