Japan to Expand Disclosure on Gender Wage Gaps

Tokyo, May 31 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government said Friday that it will consider obliging companies with at least 101 employees to disclose gender wage disparities, compared with the current threshold of 301 or more employees.

The government made the pledge in a draft report on priority policies for gender equality for 2024. It will discuss details of the greater disclosure as it plans to revise the law on gender equality by the end of fiscal 2025.

The draft said gender equality viewpoints should be reflected in future disaster responses, citing inadequate consideration for female victims in the response to a powerful earthquake in the Noto Peninsula, central Japan, on Jan. 1. It called for women's greater roles in disaster prevention.

The draft also proposed greater support for women's health, including for those who cannot buy sanitary items due to economic hardship.

The share of female executives at companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's top-tier Prime section was as low as 13.4 pct as of the end of July 2023, compared with the government's goal of raising the figure to at least 30 pct by 2030. The draft called for raising management awareness on employing, educating and appointing more women.

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