Sanae Takaichi Becomes Japan's First Female Prime Minister Amid Ongoing Gender Equality Challenges
In October 2025, Sanae Takaichi made history as Japan's first female prime minister, marking a significant milestone for the country. This development has elicited mixed views regarding its impact on gender-equality policies.
Japan currently ranks 118th out of 148 countries on the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Index, which is the lowest rank among OECD members. The government had set a target to have 30% women in leadership positions across sectors by 2020, but this goal was postponed by a decade.
Women occupy only 11.1% of leadership roles in business, despite female labor participation for ages 15-64 rising to above 77%, a rate that surpasses the OECD average and that of the United States, driven by aging demographics and labour shortages.
A 2024 government survey revealed that women earn approximately 70–80% of men's wages in Japan. Initiatives such as MPower Partners' WPower fund, backed with half of its capital contributed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, aim to support female founders. Nevertheless, venture capital in Japan is described as a closed network that is difficult for outsiders, particularly women, to access.
A 2024 survey indicated that more than half of female entrepreneurs have experienced sexual harassment, prompting the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to announce a government survey in August 2025 to assess the issue's scope.
At the academic level, the University of Tokyo's Gender Equity #WeChange initiative seeks to increase female faculty representation from 16% in 2022 to 25% by 2027. The current rate is around 18%, with subsidies and outreach programs supporting the hiring and mentoring of women in academia.
