This series explores topics surrounding women who began their careers in Japan following the implementation of equal opportunities employment legislation in the mid-1980s. With many now reaching the age of retirement, it is hoped their stories can provide insight and lessons for women in Japan¡¯s professional world today.
Two seemingly incompatible ingredients are indispensable for successful social entrepreneurship: unwavering moral commitment to the improvement of a social cause; and commercial shrewdness for building a viable, profitable business in service of that cause. The first without the second is philanthropy. The second without the first is soulless.
Wakana Nukui, 57, a Tokyo-born woman of slight build, embodies both elements. Early in her life, she vowed to help women in developing countries achieve their professional, and consequently financial, independence.
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