By KAZUHITO SUWA/ Staff Writer
November 10, 2020 at 15:12 JST
The Keidanren Kaikan building in Tokyo (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
The nation's most powerful business lobby set a goal Nov. 9 for 30 percent or more of top managerial positions to be held by women by 2030 as part of its growth strategy.
“Without setting a specific goal, it’s hard to move forward,” said Hiroaki Nakanishi, who heads Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) and concurrently is chairman of Hitachi Ltd.
It is the first time for the business group to announce a numerical target to raise the number of female executives in corporate Japan.
In this regard, a senior official of the group referred to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments in a company’s operations, notably in fields like environmental and social responsibility.
“Companies can’t help but try to bring in more female executives to recruit more female personnel,” the official noted.
Keidanren's move reflects the 30% Club Japan campaign established among business circles by managers of large companies last year that calls for efforts to ensure that 30 percent of managerial positions in large companies are held by female executives by 2030.
The percentage of female executives among 100 leading listed companies averaged 12.9 percent as of July, up 2.4 points year-on-year.
Keidanren aimed its target at all companies, including small and midsized ones, which could make the goal harder to achieve.
Japanese firms lead world in assessing climate change risks
January 21, 2020
Study: Firms blame women for failure to become board members
March 8, 2020
Tokai companies to appoint more women as board members in June
June 15, 2020
EDITORIAL: Companies must bargain in good faith in ‘shunto’ negotiations
January 24, 2020
Plea for office workers not to take New Year holidays all at once
October 24, 2020
Visit this page for the latest news on Japan’s battle with the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
Haruki Murakami and other writers read from books before selected audiences at the new Haruki Murakami Library.
The Asahi Shimbun aims “to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” through its Gender Equality Declaration.
Let’s explore the Japanese capital from the viewpoint of wheelchair users and people with disabilities with Barry Joshua Grisdale.
