In total, 33.4 percent of the top companies listed in Japan did not have female executives at the end of July, and more than 50 percent in specific sectors such as shipping, pulp, and paper, the Cabinet Office said last week.
In the 2,189 companies listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, 732 had no female executives, including auditors and board members, in late July, as per an official count.
The proportion of significant companies that do not have female CEOs is steadily decreasing since 62.0 percent in 2017; however, it is still relatively high despite the efforts of the nation to boost women’s representation in the workplace.
From the 34 industries studied, businesses in nine industries without female executives ranked at 50 percent or higher. The percentage was 70 percent or more in the shipping sector and paper and pulp industries.
The research also indicated that the advancement of women has been slow in the machinery, steel, and real estate sectors.
However, the ratio of firms with female executives was highest in the gas and electricity industries, followed by the air transportation and banking sectors, as per the figures.
Seiko Noda, the minister responsible for gender equality, said at an event in November. 26 that “Corporate value is expected to rise by promoting women because there is data showing companies with a higher ratio of female executives perform better.”
If more women participate in the corporate decision-making process, different values will be more evident in the direction of a business.
It is believed that the Japanese government has not been able to reach its objective of filling 30 percent of the leadership post in Japan by women in 2020, putting off the date “as soon as possible within the 2020s” in the last policy review.
Source: Kyodo
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