The Women in Business Reading List
Japan snack maker smashes stereotypes by promoting women
A terrific article about Sanshu Seika, a mid-size Japanese company, which has been committed to gender equality and led by a decisive Japanese leader. The positive impact of their actions on business results and employee satisfaction are clearly communicated.
Japan’s all-male boards face gender reckoning
This article, focusing on the appointment of Yuko Kawamoto, a professor at Waseda Business School, as a board director at Softbank, looks into the number of Japanese companies still lacking diversity at board level, and discusses "box ticking" versus appointing capable non-executive directors.
What Do Countries With The Best Coronavirus Responses Have In Common? Women Leaders (Copy) (Copy)
Looking for examples of true leadership in a crisis? From Iceland to Taiwan and from Germany to New Zealand, women are stepping up to show the world how to manage a messy patch for our human family.
A mission to help Japan’s women back into the workforce
This article highlights the unorthodox career of ACCJ member, Cynthia Usui, who first entered the workforce in Tokyo after 17 years of being a full time mother. It shows the remarkable progress Cynthia has made in her career since accepting the lowly hourly rate as a telephone operator at a members club, and how she has channeled her experience to help and encourage others. A MUST READ.
Japan's central bank gets its first woman executive director in 138 years
Looking for examples of true leadership in a crisis? From Iceland to Taiwan and from Germany to New Zealand, women are stepping up to show the world how to manage a messy patch for our human family.
Does COVID-19 Prove Women Are Best Suited to Lead in a Crisis?
This article published on April 9, 2020 looks at how countries are handling their responses to the COVID-19 crises, and calls out the performances of New Zealand and Germany – both governments are lead by women.
A nation of suit-wearing salarymen educates its first generation of stay-at-home dads.
In 2008, the Japanese government began piloting the Ikumen Project, aimed at drafting policies that would make workplaces more father-friendly and funding various cultural projects that would encourage dads throughout Japan to get more involved with their children.
Shedding the armor: Why feminine leadership is good for your business
Research shows that women leaders tend to be more relationship oriented, more collaborative and better listeners, all traits that are essential to building high performing teams, interfacing with customers and solving complex problems.
Is Gender Diversity Profitable? Evidence from a Global Survey
In this working paper, authors from the Petersen Institute for International Economics use the results from a global survey of firms to examine the relationship between the presence of women in corporate leadership positions and a firm's performance.
Japan's Change Generation
This article talks about Hiroki Komazaki, who has persuaded the Japanese government to pass a law on childcare that would allow entrepreneurs to establish nurseries using vacant spaces in apartment buildings in Tokyo.
Asia's Women In the Mix: Sakie Fukushima On Gender Adversity In Japan
In this article, Sakie Fukushima talks about how the number of female board members in Japan is still low and the need to increase the number of female board members.
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This Reading List is curated by members of the ACCJ Women in Business Committee as a service to ACCJ members and the international business community in Japan.
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