Stagnant Advancement of Female Executives in Japan's Management Ranks

In a recent survey conducted by Teikoku Databank, the state of gender equality in Japanese corporations was assessed. Here are some key findings:

The number of companies working on the government-backed policy of "promotion of childcare and nursing care leave for men" has increased by 2.3 points over the previous year, with 19.8% of companies now implementing this policy.
However, there is no specific information available about any Japanese companies expecting an increase in the proportion of female directors in the coming years.

On the positive side, 31.8% of companies expect the proportion of female managers to increase, with this expectation rising to 72.7% for companies with over 1,000 employees.

The Japanese government has set targets of 19% in 2025 and 30% in 2030 for the proportion of female executives at companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Prime market. However, the current figure is still 18.9 percentage points below the target.

The survey did not provide information on the proportion of female managers at these companies, nor did it provide information on the proportion of male employees or the industry sectors of the companies surveyed.

The top measure used to promote the advancement of female employees is "gender-neutral performance evaluations," mentioned by 61.9% of the companies surveyed. "Gender-neutral job assignments and postings" are used by 51.5% of the companies surveyed.
The proportion of female executives has shown a slight rise to 13.8%, but all executives are male at 52.1% of companies. Companies where all managers are men remain the largest group, accounting for 42.3% of the total.

Larger companies face greater pressure to make progress, as they are required to produce action plans and disclose figures on this issue.

In July 2025, the survey found that 11.1% of management positions were held by women, a 0.2 percentage point increase from the previous year. No information was provided about the proportion of male employees at these companies in the survey.
"Making it easier for women to take childcare and nursing care leave" is mentioned by 34.1% of the companies surveyed as a measure to promote the advancement of female employees.

The survey did not provide specific information about the industry sectors of the companies surveyed.

In conclusion, while progress is being made in promoting gender equality in Japanese corporations, there is still a significant gap to bridge before the government's targets are achieved. Measures such as gender-neutral performance evaluations and job assignments, as well as making it easier for women to take childcare and nursing care leave, are important steps towards achieving this goal.