1) The document discusses diversity initiatives in Japan, focusing on increasing women's participation in the workforce and in leadership positions. 2) It outlines Japan's transition from an initial focus on equal opportunity to a current emphasis on diversity and inclusion, now utilizing both top-down quotas and targets as well as bottom-up cultural change. 3) Data presented shows progress made in supporting women researchers and increasing women's representation in various sectors, but also highlights ongoing challenges around issues like low rates of male parental leave and lack of female managers and directors.

1. No.0328-001243 ICWES16, October 24 at Los Angels, USA
The Arrow and The Song,
of Diversity in Japan
Kayoko Sugahara
INWES Board Member and INWES Japan President, APNN Chair
Visiting Professor of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA) Gender Equality Office, Advisor
Former IBM Distinguished Engineer and Member of IBM Academy of Technology

2. The Arrow and the Song
The famous poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Arrow and the Song” , suggests
that it is hard for us to evaluate the power of actions immediately, but we could be learn of their
great impact later.
In the second stanza of the poem, the speaker breathes a song “into the air”.
A song suggests us something gentle and free and it breathes our mind into future.
I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.
I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song?
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.
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3. Diversity evolution in Japan
Diversity 2.0
Diversity＆ Inclusion
Top down
& Hard Push
Work-Life Balance
• Act on Advancement of Measures to
Support Raising Next-Generation
Children （enacted in 2003)
the equal treatment of men and
women regarding such things as
recruiting, employment and
promotion, …..
Diversity 1.0
Diversity 3.0
Bottom up
& Soft Pull
Equal Opportunity
• The Equal Employment Opportunities Law
（enacted in 1985)
• Sustainable Framework
• Diversity as Social Imperative
• Diversity Branding and Reputation
• Leadership Accountability
• Workload and Pace
• Leverage Diverse Talent Globally
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4. The third arrow
Since 2013
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has committed to the strategy of recovering Japan’s ailing economy.
He has focused on three steps of actions and named them as the “Three Arrows”.
The first ‘‘two arrows’’ are for loosening monetary policy and boosting public spending.
The third arrow with regulatory reforms means to bring more women into the workforce.
He promised structural reforms of Work-Life Balance, so that women can work more easily,
comfortably, productively and pull their capability to achieve greater results.
Diversity 3.0
The third arrow has introduced another
strong “Quota” discipline, to push
companies to promote women be able
to have better opportunities.
Top down & Hard Push
Negative attitudes against Diversity are
still hard to sweep away, but strong
wind of arrow would blow out them.
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5. Decreasing population trend
 Decrease followed by working-age population
Future population of 15-64 year-old by
National Institute of Population and Security Research
Can not be optimistic outlook for the future
 Birth rate appears to have hit at "bottom",
but ...
Number of live births
(The worst record)
1,037,000 people
Fertility Rate
（0.02 percentage points）
1.41
2012
Number of live births
(Total Fertility Rate)
Only 0.02 rise in 25 years
Median forecast by
National Institute of Population and Security Research
Nikkei, 2013/6/23
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6. Women power, to achieve future economic growth
• Women employment rate of OECD
countries
Nikkei, 2013/7/15
Sweden
Iceland
Japan (24th in 35)
U.S.A
OECD average
Korea
Mexico
Turkey 25 to 54 years old
(Employment Outlook 2013)
• Ratio of non-regular workers
Women (57.5％)
Total (38.2％)
Men
• M-curve improvements
The proportion of working women
70% share with
20s and 30s
Years
Nikkei, 2013/7/13
Nikkei, 2013/7/13
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7. Country comparison of women managers’ ratio
• Global Gender Gap Report 2013 ranks Japan at 105th among 136 countries, its worst
showing since the WEF started the survey in 2006. Japan ranked 101st last year.
(Managers + Directors)
 Country comparison of women directors‘ ratio
in listed companies (mix of 2011 & 2012 survey)
 Country comparison of women managers’
ratio (mix of 2010 & 2012 survey)
Nikkei, 2013/6/28
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8. For women success, men must change
 1% level momentum of
male childcare leave acquisition
Women
Men
Childcare leave rate
Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare study
• Very low level of childcare leave rate of male
2.63
1.38
Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare study
1.89
• 40% of men who took childcare leave
Unknown
More than 18 months
12~18
months
is less than 5 days
5 days ~ 1 month
1~6
months
W
6~12 months
Less than
5 days
M
Ministry of Health, Labor
and Welfare study
Nikkei, 2013/5/19
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9. Support of working women and childcare are
the most important issues of government
Since 2013
The government list of
women advantage policies
 Support of working women
The 5 point improvement,
73% employment rate
of 2020 (25-44 years)
Childcare leave three years of women (?)
To appoint one or more women directors in all listed companies
Spread of telework to be able to work at home and in a shorter working hour
Database of women human resources
Skills support after retuning from childcare
Grants and tax incentives to companies to help work-life balance
 Zero children on the waiting list
Capacity ensure 400,000
by the end of fiscal 2017
(zero waiting list)
Rapid increase of Nursery school (with public houses)
Treatment improvement of nursery teachers
Top down & Hard Push
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10. Japan Inc. trying new ways to put women in executive suites
“Creating a society where all women can shine"
Since 201４ • A Teikoku Databank survey shows that 57.4% of 11,017 companies polled are actively
working to increase women in management.
• Kirin will launch leadership training and aims to increase women in management from the
current 4% to 12%, or about 300, by 2021.
• Shimizu is planning to double women in managerial positions by fiscal 2018.
• Mitsui O.S.K. Lines introduced a system to rehire women, those coming back within four
years are guaranteed the same employment terms.
• Nippon Yusen will strengthen support for child care and education abroad to make it easier
for female employees raising young children to work overseas.
• Seven & i Holdings has begun training male managers in promoting women and
encouraging men to take child care leave.
• Sompo Japan will expand its mentoring program for women to cover those in their early 30s.
• ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
Trying to take the lead
• In an effort, to reach the goal of having women
in 30% of leadership positions by 2020.
• Will seek to address the root causes of inhibitors,
• Appointed 5 women to Cabinet posts,
• Asked to business lobby to set a bar for its
• Considering rewarding companies that actively
in breaking Japan's glass ceiling
including the difficulty of managing work and
child care
matching the record for the most female
target of female division directors: 1%
employ women with subsidies or extra points
toward public works contracts.
Nikkei, August 15, 2014
Top down & Hard Push
• Cabinet finally decided to let companies set
own targets for promoting women
• Companies with more than 300 workers,
required to disclose targets & action plans
• "We hope that companies would have some
freedom to design our own targets”,
(chairman of the business lobby)
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11. Songs into the air., support models for Life-Event
 There must be commitment at all levels of society
“As President Obama often says, “Change comes from the
bottom up, not the top down.” ・・・・
Women need to reach out to each other, to ask for help from
their husbands and partners, co-workers or other family members.
We can demonstrate to managers that doing a good job need
not mean staying until 9 o'clock at night. “. (U.S. Ambassador
Caroline Kennedy told The Nikkei in an exclusive interview, 2014/9/1)
 Women researchers support model development, “support of Life-Event”
The "Life-Event" intended for public universities and research institutes to develop own models.
1) Establishment of support systems of research activities
2) Improvement of research environment
3) Promotion of awareness
4) Promotion of positive action
5) Development of the next generation women
Answers of ‘Yes or No’, If you are asked to be a manager ?
Not accept Not decide now
No answer
Depend on the conditions and contents
Bottom up & Soft Pull
Women
Survey of Tokyo Metropolitan, 2013
Men Accept
Nikkei, 2014/10/04
Songs into the air
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12. A. Development of support models for women researchers
Positive actions of women researchers
• Program: 2006 ~ 2010 (science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine)
• 2006:10 institutions, 2007:10, 2008:13, 2009:12, 2010:10
in the applicable institutions
A
B. Rapid increase of women researchers and leaders
 Number of papers presented of women researchers,
• Program: 2009 ~ 2014 (science, engineering and agriculture)
• 2009:5 institutions, 2010:7 institutions, …..
2.31 who received research support staffing
3.7 times
0.63
3.00
B
2.00
1.00
0.00
A
supported Researchers general Researchers
Number of papers / year
per capita
1.00
0.80
0.60
0.40
0.20
0.00
Number of external funding
per capita
3.2 times
0.81
0.25
 Number of patents registered of women
researchers, who received research support
staffing
1.5 times
A
(Estimated)
0.025
0.038
0.050
0.040
0.030
0.020
0.010
0.000
Number of patents registered / year
per capita
supported Researchers general Researchers
A
 Number of external funding of women researchers,
who received research support staffing
Council for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Dec. 2012
Bottom up & Soft Pull
supported Researchers general Researchers
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13. Increase of women researchers in the applicable institutions
 Changes in the number of women researchers,
in the applicable institutions (total)
Number of women researchers
10K 9487
7154 7507 7881 8149
8855 9228
5K
0
A
‘05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ‘11
B
 Changes in the number of
in the applicable institutions
Number of women researchers
women researchers
B
Science
Agriculture
Total
理学工
学農学
理工農
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Engineering
’08 ’09 ’10 ’11
 Changes in the adoption number of
women researchers (per institutions)
Council for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Dec. 2012
Bottom up & Soft Pull
1.7
Previous year of start
Annual average (1-3 year)
after start
2.6 2.4
0.6 0.7 0.4
6.2
1.4
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Total Science Engineering Agriculture
Women researchers adoption
number / year (per institutions)
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14. Changes in researchers % in the applicable institutions
 Changes in men researchers %
87.0
86.4
85.5
A
86.4 86.2
84.9 84.6
Applicable Institution
Whole country
’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ‘11
B
 Changes in women researchers %
Council for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Dec. 2012
Bottom up & Soft Pull
 Changes in women researchers %
12.5
11.9
12.9
13.3
13.6
13
14.5
15.1
15.4
11.9
12.4
13
13.6 13.8
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
Women researcher ratio (%)
A
Applicable Institution
Whole country
’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ‘11
88.1 88.1
87.5 87.1
87.6
86.7
90
88
86
84
82
80
Men researcher ratio (%)
10.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
Women researcher ratio (%)
Science
Agriculture
Total
•理学工学農学理工農
Engineering
0
’08 ’09 ’10 ’11
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15. Decrease of women researchers’ quitting a job
in the applicable institutions
 Decrease of women researchers’ quitting
a job for reasons other than retirement
(Women)
‘05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ‘11
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Women researchers’ job separation
(number per institutions)
 Trends in age group of
women researchers’ quitting a job
20s
30s
40s
50s
60s
(Women)
20
A 15
A
10
5
0
‘05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ‘11
Women researchers’ job separation
(number per institutions)
Council for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Dec. 2012
Bottom up & Soft Pull
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16. Increase of leaders and diversity
 Changes in number of women
researchers' promotion to Professor
or Associate Professor
Previous Year
3RD Year from start
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
Science
Engineering
Science
Agriculture
Engineering
B
Agriculture
Professor Associate Professor
(number per institutions)
Women researchers
 Changes in women researcher ratio
of own and foreign nationality
0
23.5 24.1
7.6
28.2 29.3
9.4
13.8
50
40
30
20
10
0
Previous 3rd year
year
1st year 2nd year
Foreign
nationality
Own students
Average
of own
students
42％
Average
of foreign
nationality
3.7％
Women researcher ratio (%)
B
Council for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Dec. 2012
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17. Development of the next generation women
Achievement of Applicable
Institutions (%)
Institution (Universities) No. Percentage of
Applicable
Institutions (%)
Rise of enrollment rate of
women to undergraduate
Ｄ、Ｅ、Ｆ、Ｇ、Ｈ、Ｉ、Ｊ 7 12.7
Rise of enrollment rate of
women to graduate school
Ａ、Ｆ、Ｋ、Ｌ、Ｆ、Ｈ、Ｇ、Ｎ、Ｏ、Ｐ、Ｑ、Ｒ、Ｊ、Ｓ、Ｔ 15 27.3
Rise of enrollment rate of
women to PhD
Ａ、Ｅ、Ｌ、Ｆ、Ｍ、Ｇ、Ｐ、Ｑ 8 14.5
A
 Upward trend of women student ratio
in Natural Sciences, Faculty and Graduate
Council for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Dec. 2012
Bottom up & Soft Pull
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18. TThhaannkk YYoouu !!
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