New form of capitalism in Japan and the Nordic vision: Labor participation, gender equality, and work-life balance

SPF President Atsushi Sunami kicked off the event, highlighting women's empowerment and inclusion as central to the foundation's work of seeking out innovative ways to contend with social issues around the world. However, he also noted that Japan still falls behind in gender equality measures, praticularly when compared with countries in the Nordic region.

“When we look at the laws and frameworks, we do see that Nordic countries and Japan are similar. However, in reality, we see that Japan continues to lag behind. We still have gender roles that are still deeply rooted in Japanese society. That is why in Japan we do not have conditions where women can excel and fully demonstrate their capabilities. I'm hoping that through this seminar, we can learn from the example of Nordic countries and deepen discussions on this topic,” he said.

Next, Minister Ogura provided the perspective of Japan, describing women’s economic empowerment as a central aspect of Prime Minister Kishida’s new capitalism policy. He outlined the three pillars of Japan's approach to improve gender equality, including tackling the persistent gender wage gap, reducing the burden of household and care work on women, and supporting women in securing leadership positions in the private sector and as entrepreneurs.

He concluded his remarks by expressing a desire to learn from the Nordic region and looked forward to the first ever meeting of Ministers of Gender Equality, which will be held in the upcoming G7 hosted by Japan.

Following the opening remarks, the event continued with two panel discussions featuring experts from Japan and the Nordic region. The discussions focused on female labor market participation in both regions as well as policy ideas for promoting gender equality and work-life balance.