Japan Elects First Female Prime Minister Amid Gender Equality Challenges
In October, Japan elected its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. Supporters and critics alike acknowledge the significance of a woman taking this leadership role, though her conservative stance is expected to limit major policy changes.
Japan ranks 118th out of 148 countries on the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Index, marking it as the worst performer among OECD member democracies. Despite government efforts to increase female representation in leadership, the goal of achieving 30% women in leadership positions by 2020 was delayed by a decade. Currently, women hold about 11.1% of leadership roles in business.
Female participation in the labor force has risen and stands above the OECD average, with around 77% of women aged 15 to 64 working this year. Policy initiatives such as reducing nursery waiting lists aim to help young mothers return to work. However, wage disparity remains an issue: a 2024 government survey found women earn roughly 70–80% of what men earn.
Efforts to support female entrepreneurs include MPower Partners' launch of the WPower fund, which receives half its funding from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Despite this, Japan's venture capital scene is described as clubby, with women facing greater difficulties accessing capital. Sexual harassment remains a concern, with more than half of female entrepreneurs reporting harassment in the past year. In response, the government announced a survey for August 2025 to better understand the scope of the issue.
