Women Still Underrepresented in Japanese News Industry

Tokyo, March 16 (Jiji Press)--Women remain underrepresented in the Japanese news media industry, where tough employees willing to work long hours have traditionally been valued as news can break anytime, anywhere.

But taking that for granted has tended to hinder reforms of working styles and corporate organizations while reducing career opportunities for female journalists, who are still more likely to bear the main burden of child care.

Correcting the gender gap is an urgent issue in the industry. Such a change is expected to bring the perspectives of women to newsrooms, leading to more diverse viewpoints in news production.

A reporter in her 30s working for a local newspaper remembers how she nearly wept when she saw her senior colleague apologizing in an internal meeting, saying, "I'm sorry I got pregnant."

The reporter has always felt uncomfortable that senior female reporters she trusted were automatically removed from their beats and reassigned to desk jobs once they had children.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]