"Women's Empowerment and Corporate Management Strategy" ~Ahead of the Full Implementation of the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace~ Symposium Held

The Nikkei Inc. held the "Symposium on Women's Advancement and Corporate Management Strategy: Towards the Full Implementation of the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace" (co-hosted by the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) at Nikkei Hall in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on December 21.

Ahead of the April 2016 implementation of the "Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace," enacted in August, the symposium aimed to deepen understanding of the law. It also explored future corporate management approaches through case studies of companies proactively advancing women's participation and a panel discussion.

Approximately 600 participants attended, including corporate executives, human resources personnel, and media representatives.

Ms. Akiko Yoshimoto, Deputy Director-General of the Cabinet Office, delivered a keynote speech titled "About the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace." Under this Act, companies are required to assess the status of women's advancement within their organization, analyze challenges, formulate and submit action plans, and disclose information (companies with fewer than 301 employees are required to set effort targets). Companies are required to formulate and publish action plans, including specific numerical targets tailored to their challenges, by April 1 of next year.

The law was enacted against the backdrop of a declining working-age population due to low birth rates and an aging society. It aims to promote women's labor participation as one solution to the decline in GDP per capita.

Deputy Director-General Yoshimoto explained four key barriers to women's advancement: "Not hiring women," "Not nurturing women," "Women cannot or do not want to continue working," and "Women do not aspire to advance." He noted that underlying these barriers are long working hours and gender role stereotypes (men for work / women for home).

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare will launch a certification system. Companies meeting specific criteria and evaluations will receive a "Certification Mark," enabling them to promote their initiatives. Additionally, a website will be launched next spring to visualize corporate efforts, building a database where job-seeking women can search and evaluate companies.

The Deputy Director-General concluded with a message to companies: "Promoting women's advancement is essential to corporate management strategy. It is crucial for top management to commit to both policy direction and concrete measures. Companies proactive in this area enhance their market value and attract top talent. Proactive action plans and information disclosure are required."

Following this, Minister in Charge of Women's Empowerment Katsunobu Kato delivered a keynote speech titled "Women's Empowerment: Opening the Future." He noted that while approximately 60% of women are forced to leave their jobs after the birth of their first child, data shows that the longer husbands spend on housework and childcare, the higher the rate of continued employment among wives after the birth of their first child. He introduced the "Association of Male Leaders Accelerating the Empowerment of Shining Women." He emphasized that men's commitment is essential for women's advancement, both at home and in the workplace.

Finally, panelists Jūichi Ōkubo (Senior Managing Executive Officer, Chiba Bank), Eri Kawabe (Executive Officer, Deputy Head of Human Resources Group, SCSK), Masako Orii (Executive Officer, Head of Human Resources Development Division, Suntory Holdings), Shinichi Sainohira (President and Representative Director, Sanshu Seika), and moderator Yoko Yajima (Senior Researcher, Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting) took the stage. After introducing each company's diversity and work-life balance initiatives, they held a panel discussion.

Chiba Bank promotes women's advancement through three perspectives: expanding career fields, talent development, and improving the work environment. Examples include appointing women to external relations roles. The bank also launched the "Regional Bank Presidents' Association to Accelerate the Advancement of Shining Women," with participation from all 64 regional banks. They are advancing the "Regional Bank Talent Bank" initiative, where employees from member banks introduce their spouses to other regional banks when relocating for work. This was presented as an example of expanding activities beyond a single company to the entire industry.

SCSK's initiative focuses on workstyle reform. Under the "Smart Work Challenge 20" program, it set targets of averaging less than 20 hours of overtime per month and taking 20 days of paid leave. By fiscal 2014, overtime hours were 18 hours and paid leave days were 19.2 days, achieving both reduced overtime and increased revenue and profits. Consequently, the high attrition rate among women after 10 years of service, a longstanding issue, decreased significantly.

Both Chiba Bank and SCSK received the Prime Minister's Award in the "2015 Leading Companies for Women's Advancement" initiative.

The Suntory Group aims to be a company where women can work comfortably and achieve results, as part of its diversity management. To innovate work styles, it maximizes flexibility in time and location by eliminating core hours in its flextime system and allowing telework in 10-minute increments. This system is used by half of all employees, not just women, and contributes to improved labor productivity.

Sanshu Seika is working to eliminate fixed role divisions through its "one person, three roles" system. It has also introduced a "one person, one research project" system, leading to the development of equipment easier for women to use and hit products like fried pasta. Thanks to strong top-level commitment to giving opportunities to motivated employees regardless of gender or employment status (full-time or part-time), the company's reputation as a place where women can thrive has grown. Job applications have surged dramatically, with approximately 400 applicants for every two positions filled.

Finally, Mr. Yajima emphasized that rather than being solely fixated on numerical targets, it is crucial to build a system where diverse talent can work vibrantly and receive fair evaluation.