Okinawa women score high as business leaders

The highest number of women leading Japanese companies is in Aomori, while Okinawa’s close behind in second place.

A survey by Teikoku Databank Fukuoka says Kyushu and Okinawa areas are strongest in female leadership in Japan, scoring 8.5% of the presidencies.  The national average is 7.4% female corporate leaders.  Okinawa has 9.8% of its presidencies filled by women, a total of 1,002 leaders. Aomori topped the rankings.

In Kyushu and Okinawa alone, there are five prefectures in the top ten, with Saga 3rd, Oita 6th, Fukuoka 8th and Kumamoto 10th. The top reason cited for the areas having female presidents is because of a large number of family businesses, 54.4%. The second reason is 32.2% women starting business by themselves, and third is promotion, 7.0%.

By types of business, real estate is 16.4%, retailing is 11.6%, and the service sector is registering 11.2%. Fukuoka Division says “there is a typical reason that females take over their family businesses due to male heirs’ absence or move to major cities, while in Okinawa and Fukuoka, there are a lot of females who start businesses by themselves. Females are participating actively in business.”

 

19:32 29 Mar , 2024