Developing Women Leaders in Japan: Government-Led Initiatives

In this chapter, we examine the impact of Japan’s government-led initiatives on developing women’s leadership in all fields of Japanese society from business, academia to politics. Our major research strategies include an in-depth integrative literature review; analyses of governmental reports, and some case studies that highlight women’s successful career stories. Data have been collected from archives, journals, and published reports. This work highlights the major findings of the analysis of current situation in Japanese government-led policies and development initiatives surrounding Japan’s womenomics, designed to create more gender equality in the Japanese workplace, national economy, and in the society. While the major focus was on domestically initiated programs, collaboration with external partners including joint programs with public–private partnerships and the international community, were also examined.