Whenever a woman rises to the top in politics, business or other fields for the first time, Japanese news organizations have traditionally highlighted the development primarily through the lens of her being the ¡°first woman.¡±
Prominent recent examples include Sanae Takaichi, who was elected Japan¡¯s first female prime minister last year, and Tomoko Yoshino, who in 2021 became the first woman to serve as president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, better known as Rengo.
Kaori Hayashi, executive vice president of the University of Tokyo and a professor specializing in journalism studies, is herself a trailblazer as the first female president of the Japan Association for Media, Journalism and Communication Studies.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.