The Journey of Women’s Career Advancement at Tokyo Century from the 1990s to the Present—Three Managers Share Their Experiences

There were very few women in so-called career-track positions, and these tended to be limited to specific regions, with no options for relocation or administrative postings, which was the situation for Ms. Kashiura and me.

That came to be known as the “employment ice age” for new graduates, and I think everyone was having a hard time. Given the overall situation, women had no choice but to target a regionally limited career track position or administrative assistant. Although women’s career advancement in Japan was certainly lagging behind global standards, a lot has changed since then.

I was transferred to the Structured Finance Division in 2003, and there I teamed up with a partner company to launch a new business. The experience built up my confidence, and I think my current work still benefits from that. I wanted to be able to negotiate with banks, securitization companies, and customers on an equal footing, so I devoted myself so completely that-as I look back-I now realize how very hard I was working. I was also proud of the fact that the work I was doing was becoming an established part of the operation.

When I took the entrance exam, I applied for an administrative position. During the job interview, I was asked if I wanted to apply for a regional career-track position. I think that was the first turning point for me. And in my sixth year, I applied for what’s now referred to as the Career Challenge System and was able to move to the then International Business Division-the next big turning point for me. Women were rarely transferred those days, and there were several occasions when men hired after me were transferred before I was, so I wanted to take a step forward.

I think very few did. It has since become more common for female employees to work overseas or be relocated, but back then it was simply not the case.

When I was busy working on the launch of a new business with a partner company, we’d hold meetings every week and often go someplace afterward for dinner. Once my boss told me, “We’re building a team by sharing time together.” I thought this was wonderful-the idea of sharing time with team members, including customers, to create a new business, and I still embrace this on the job.

During the entrance exam period, I interviewed with a senior female employee who was in a career-track position, and we had lunch together. There were still very few women in such a position. She was in her fourth year at the Company, very enthusiastic, and appeared quite confident.
At the time, female employees were expected to be feminine, as I mentioned earlier. So, admiring her attitude, I tried not to refer to being a woman as an excuse, no matter how hard some work was.

I feel that Japanese companies, including Tokyo Century, are gradually changing. Overseas companies, however, are moving even further ahead, so I think we need to step up a little faster. I can definitely feel, however, the growth of awareness within Tokyo Century.

That’s true. Particularly in Europe and the U.S. there is a clear distinction between the tasks and roles required. This is the so-called “task-based system,” in which people apply for jobs and are hired based on their duties. Executing the responsibilities listed under your job description leads to promotion. So, I think that in this system, gender differences do not easily lead to career opportunities or positive appraisals.

The labor shortage is expected to become more severe throughout Japan, and so it’s necessary to understand every employee’s strengths and weaknesses and take advantage of their skills for mutual benefit. How can we create fair opportunities for diverse employees to grow and guide them into situations in which they can perform well? And how can we assign tasks that make the most of their abilities and characteristics? These are also challenges we face as managers.

I’m trying to establish a horizontal organization so employees can freely express their opinions and consult with each other. I want to continue to be someone who’s easy to talk to, even after becoming a manager, so I try to have informal conversations with everyone. I also tell new staff to refer to me with “san” instead of my formal job title, like one of my former bosses who I deeply respected did.

I’ve realized the importance of verbal communication such as by phone, because sharing information through text only via chat and email often results in miscommunication. When I’m in the office, I can informally ask those around me for advice or let them listen to me complain about something. When I work from home, however, I tend to keep things to myself. With that in mind, I try to communicate by phone at least once a day or so. I say things like, “That seemed like a difficult situation. Are you okay?” And I value casual conversations as well. When talking to those who report to me, I’m often asked for advice, and I say something like, “Well, this is what actually happened...”

Since becoming a general manager, I’ve had to make more decisions on my own. I sometimes feel lonely at such times, but not in a negative sense. My internal dialogue provides food for thought. Being able to receive a variety of information that wasn’t previously available to me has also made a difference. Managers enjoy the advantage of having access to a wealth of information, so I’d like to effectively apply that to my work.

Managers bear the brunt of challenges on every front. I find that continually nerve-wracking. At the same time, I’ve discovered that overcoming problems helps me and those I supervise to grow. I’m also pleased when they share their real thoughts with me. And I think it’s important for managers to work things out with those they supervise rather than talk over them.

I remember how hard it was for me when I launched a new operation from scratch in the Structured Finance Division, and when I worked on a business acquisition project. The difficulties, though, made the experiences much more rewarding. My goal is to develop new operations with my current employees in the Structured Finance Division while sharing a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment, as well as the occasional hardship.

Talking with both of you today has been encouraging and made me realize I’m not alone. There are still very few women in management positions in society, and I’m sure there are many others who feel the same way as we do. As a manager, I’d like to create more opportunities like this within the Company for other staff. Whenever one encounters an obstacle or has trouble making a decision, I believe that talking with someone else who’s faced similar problems will open up a new horizon.