Top Japanese companies for improvement in women in management

Toyo Keizai has taken a look at which Japanese companies have most improved the percentage of women in management over the past ten years. Unsurprisingly, those companies who had the best existing pipeline of women – in life insurance and retail – have been able to make the biggest strides.

Life insurance companies in Japan traditionally employed women as salespeople, who were allowed into offices and left fliers, business cards and sweets on your desk if you were absent. Meiji Yasuda, Asahi, Daiichi, and Nippon have all increased the proportion of women in management from only a few percent in 2011 to between a fifth and a third of managers in 2021.

Other financial services companies such as Resona, the smaller regional banks, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust, Mitsubishi HC Capital, Daiwa Securities, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and MUFG are also in the 50 most improved.  Non-financial companies in the top 50 include Astellas Pharmaceuticals, Sony and Bandai Namco.

Appearing in the bottom of the top 50 only requires a 10% improvement over the past 10 years, and 20 out of the top 50 most improved companies still have only 10-20% of managers who are female. The pipeline contains only a trickle for many.

For more content like this, subscribe to the free Rudlin Consulting Newsletter. 最新の在欧日系企業の状況については無料の月刊Rudlin Consulting ニューズレターにご登録ください。

Share Button

Last updated by at .

Comments

Leave a Reply

More posts

  • Japan and Europe business update May 2026

    Japan and Europe business update May 2026

    Washin acquires UK company Foilco Japanese foil manufacturer Washin has acquired UK foil hot stamping company Foilco. Foilco employs 43 people in the UK. https://www.printweek.com/content/news/foilco-acquired-by-japanese-manufacturer UK’s Compass Group acquires Morinaga Shokken Morinaga Shokken is a medical and senior food services company primarily in the Kyushu region. UK-based Compass Group is already one of the largest…


  • Japan – EMEA business update April 2026

    Japan – EMEA business update April 2026

    NYK on the acquisition trail Stolt-Nielsen has confirmed it will sell 50% of its stake in its LNG bunkering and small-scale specialist Avenir LNG to Japanese shipowner NYK. NYK has also expanded its dry bulk business by taking full control of Norway’s Saga Welco, an open-hatch bulker specialist. NYK Holding Europe (NHE) will acquire Westfal-Larsen’s…


  • Data and trust in Japan and Europe

    Data and trust in Japan and Europe

    I recently logged back into an online events platform which I had not used for a couple of years, in order to set up ticket sales for a seminar.  A message popped up saying that in order to continue using the site for sales, I needed to register with the US Inland Revenue Service. I…