Winding Paths to Success

Prologue xi 1 Levity 1 Yuki Shingu Makes a Brilliant Comeback to IT Career After Nursing Care Leave 4 Japan--Almost Silent over #MeToo 14 Why Having Women at the Top Is Not Enough 18 2 Independence 23 Makiko Nakamori Approaches Corporate Governance with Resolve 26 Gender Diversity in Japan Inc. Must Blast Past Tokenism 34 Women Must Learn to Harness the Power of Networking 37 3 Purpose 43 Mami Kataoka Believes in the Power of Art to Change the World 46 Every Day Is International Men's Day in Japan 56 Companies Must Face Up to the Downsides of Workplace Diversity 59 4 Altruism 67 Ayako Sonoda Inherits Altruism and Entrepreneurism Passed from Her Mother 70 Let's Get Real About Female Equality in Corporate Japan 80 Rolling with the Punches Hurts Japanese Women 84 5 Conviction 91 Miyuki Suzuki Drives Change as Outsider from Within 94 Meetings with Women That "Take Too Long" Are a Good Thing 104 Kawaii Culture Hurts Japanese Women in Business 107 6 Leadership 111 Masami Katakura Realizes Her Leadership Potential with Help from a Mentor 114 Former Princess Mako's Marriage Holds a Mirror to Japan 123 Japan's Language Gender Divide Hurts Women at Work 126 7 Growth 131 Ryoko Nagata Stays Clear of Cigarettes in a Tobacco Company 134 Japan Must Break the Glass Fence Keeping Mothers at Home 143 Japanese Companies Must Capitalize on the Gender Gap Disclosure Rule 146 8 Curiosity 153 Noriko Osumi Normalizes Women in Science 156 Japan Needs More STEM Research, Not Tours, to Revive Innovation 167 Women Can Help Revive Innovation for Japan Inc. 171 9 Ambition 179 Yumi Narushima Returns to Benesse After Running a Girls' School 182 Japan Must Reform Its Antiquated Marriage Laws 195 Japan's Miss Contests Reflect Society's High Demands on Women 198 10 Competence 205 Masae Yamanaka Builds Career in Sales Traversing Four Companies 208 C-Suite: The Last Frontier for Foreigners Eyeing Japan Inc. 223 Can Japan Have Prosperity Without Growth? 226 11 Homecoming 233 Chikako Matsumoto, World

NOBUKO KOBAYASHI is a partner at EY-Parthenon, a strategic consulting arm of EY. A Japanese and English bilingual professional based in Tokyo, she contributes opinions and columns regularly to Nikkei Asia, Japan Times and frequently appears on international media platforms such as the BBC. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MS/BS from the University of Tokyo.