Winding Paths to Success

2Independence

Japan in 2023 may be behind in gender equity at work compared to other mature economies, but starting a professional career as a Japanese woman today in the mid‐2020s versus the mid‐1980s when the Equal Employment Opportunity Act was enacted is a night‐and‐day difference in women's status. When Makiko Nakamori entered the workforce in 1987, the women who opted for a lifelong career were an extreme minority.

Is the minority status always a hindrance to a career? Nakamori proves otherwise by highlighting a natural gift associated with minority status: independence. A trained certified public accountant (CPA), she established her career spanning over three and a half decades as an independent, nonexecutive auditor and board member. Never swayed by the majority or the loudest voice in the room, she can stand firm to her principles and speak on behalf of the minority shareholders.

Eventually time caught up with Nakamori, who quietly pioneered the professional career of independent board membership. Corporate governance reform, which started about 2013, encouraged companies to increase the number of nonexecutive directors on the board, which opened more doors for Nakamori.

However, it will be a failure of the company and Japan's corporate governance reform at large when “women on the board” is a mere box to check. We must focus on substance over optics, as I argue in my column, “Gender Diversity in Japan Inc. Must Blast Past Tokenism.” As a career independent director, ...