National Meeting of Women Leaders from the Chambers of Commerce and Industry

Governor Koike attended a gathering of female leaders from Japan’s National Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry at Hotel New Otani in central Tokyo on October 10.

The 57th National Convention of the (Federation’s) Businesswomen's Clubs  was jointly organized by the association of the clubs  and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry .

Citing the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index that ranks Japan 118th out of 148 countries, she told the women leaders: “In particular, Japan lags behind in political and economic spheres, and I want to push it further up going forward.”

“To that end, I hope all of you will accomplish what you want to do,” the governor said. “By doing so, you will steadfastly engage in corporate management and create jobs in a way to make Japan and Tokyo a place where people can work with a sense of fulfilment.”

“I have long maintained that Japan's greatest underutilized energy lies in women,” she said. “In metropolitan government, I am also calling on people in managerial and supervisory positions, entrepreneurs and corporate representatives to work hard to promote women's participation.”

“To create an environment where it is easy to work and manage work is to secure an environment that is beneficial for both women and men,” the governor went on. “We will move ahead with efforts to create an environment where we can draw on the talents of all of you.”

Governor Koike noted that she has recently been appointed as Vice Chair of the OECD Champion Mayors Initiative with a special responsibility for women and children. “I will try to demonstrate on the international stage how to utilize the power of women in Tokyo and Japan and energize society as a whole.”