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Tottori’s predecessor had a background in aircraft maintenance, while the previous president started out as a pilot
Mitsuko Tottori admits that Japan still has a lot to do for people like her to occupy executive director (CEO) positions.
Tottori was named the first female president and chief executive officer of Japan Airlines (JAL) in January, capping a career that began nearly 40 years ago when she joined the airline as a flight attendant.
Her rise is a rare feat in a country where women still face major obstacles to promotion.
“Japan is still setting the initial goal of increasing (the number of) women in management,” he told CNN in an interview at the airline’s headquarters in Tokyo. “I hope Japan will soon become a country where people are not surprised when a woman becomes president.”
“We want to seriously increase the number of (female) managers and, more than that, I think it’s important that women themselves want to be active, so I hope to see more and more (women) in the future,” he added.
Tottori, 59 years old, began her career at the national carrier in 1985. Thirty years later, in 2015, she became senior director of cabin attendants and was progressively promoted through the ranks.
His experience is very different from that of his predecessors. It is extremely rare for a former flight attendant to reach a senior position. Of the last ten JAL presidents, seven graduated from the prestigious University of Tokyo. In return, Tottori attended Kwassui Women’s Junior College in Nagasaki, part of a network of institutions that has played an important role in women’s higher education.
Tottori’s predecessor had a background in aircraft maintenance, while the previous president started out as a pilot.
Tottori, photographed in 1985 using an in-flight telephone, began her career as a cabin attendant at Japan Airlines. Courtesy of Japan Airlines
Between aces reasons given by JAL Promoting Tottori to a senior role is his “high level of knowledge and field experience in safe flight operations and services throughout his career” and, during the Covid-19 pandemic, he has made a “significant contribution to the maintenance of safe operations”.
Tottori took office on April 1 and his appointment comes as the airline deals with the aftermath of the Flight 516 collision at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on January 2, as well as the fallout from a crisis ongoing safety measures at Boeing.
Serious accident
Upon landing in Haneda, the Airbus A350 passenger plane collided with a Coast Guard plane on the runway, killing five people. All 379 people on JAL Flight 516 were evacuated safely, in a feat that highlighted the impressive safety protocol followed by the crew, who were praised for their quick and cool-headed reaction.
Tottori says he watched the accident unfold on television. He praised the crew and passengers for their quick evacuation.
“Well, first of all, I think the cooperation of our customers was enormous. They calmly followed the crew’s instructions, which I think was an important factor. Furthermore, I think it was important that the results of the (safety) training were fully realized”, he noted.
Tottori said he would make safety a priority. The year he joined the airline, JAL Flight 123, en route from Tokyo to Osaka, crashed, killing 520 of the 524 passengers on board, in what remains the deadliest plane crash in aviation history.
Shukor Yusof, founder of Endau Analytics, which tracks the aviation sector, said that safety is fundamental in the aviation sector and that Tottori’s experience will help to further improve these protocols.
Japan has an excellent “safety culture” compared to many countries, even developed ones. Unfortunately, JAL has already had some serious accidents (Flight 123 in 1985 and the last one in January 2024). I think a woman, especially one with a history as a cabin crew, can help improve JAL’s already high safety protocols,” she said.
Gender difference
Tottori’s appointment comes as Japan Inc. strives to close a glaring gender gap and improve diversity at top companies.
Japan is ranked 125th out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2023 of the World Economic Forum, dropping nine places compared to the previous year and placing itself well below other developed countries in the Group of Seven.
Regionally, in Asia, Japan ranks worst in terms of gender parity, coming in last place, behind Myanmar and Fiji.
In 2023, only 12.9% of senior and leadership positions were held by women, according to the Global Gender Gap report.
“There are workers who struggle a lot to move up the career ladder or who are going through certain moments in their lives. I hope I can give them courage or lead them to take the next step after seeing my appointment as president,” said Tottori in January .
The government intends that, by 2030, women occupy 30% of top management positions in the main listed companies and guarantees that it will support efforts to create a line to promote women.
But internal change has been slow.
Seijiro Takeshita, professor of management and information at the University of Shizuoka, said Japanese companies have not done enough to ensure that there are women in the line of executive succession to be promoted to management positions.
“Traditions, practices and cultures are a difficult rock to drill. But we are getting there”, he defended. “The fact that a woman has become CEO of Japan’s leading company is an incredibly positive sign.”
Tottori’s appointment is being viewed “very positively” by the public and interested parties, especially taking into account the fact that he followed a “non-elitist” path and rose through the company’s hierarchy.
The fact that a cabin crew member becomes CEO is seen very positively, especially by JAL employees, who prefer to see their “comrades” become CEO rather than an executive director from another company, bureaucrats or former politicians,” Takeshita noted.
JAL recovered quite well after the Covid-19 pandemic, capitalizing on the high tourist interest in the country, according to Yusof.
“That said, its domestic competitor ANA (All Nippon Airways) is also performing equally well. In fact, the continued weakness of the yen is an advantage for tourists, but on the other hand, there are fewer Japanese traveling to the foreigner”, he pointed out.
*Junko Ogura, Mayumi Maruyama and Juliana Liu contributed to this article
