Excessive gender-based measures distort meritocracy and undermine both fairness and productivity.

Introduction | The Fallacy of “Japan Is in Trouble” Repeated by the Media

The share of female IT engineers in Japan is 19.5%. The media portrays this as a “structural issue,” a “Japan-specific lag,” and a “loss of half the potential workforce,” often using sensational language to amplify a sense of crisis.
However, there is no real problem.

Japanese girls rank among the world’s best in mathematics and science. Educational opportunities are fully secured, and there are no laws or customs that block promotion.
Yet the primary reason for the lower share lies in women’s voluntary career choices.

Let’s be clear: meritocracy does not need gender.

Chapter 1 | Opportunities Are Not Taken Away—This Is a Matter of Choice

Across OECD countries, the proportion of female ICT professionals ranges from about 9% to 24%. Japan’s 19.5% sits in the middle, slightly below the OECD average of around 20.8%. The EU averages about 20%, the U.S. around 30%, and globally it is roughly 25–28%. Countries exceeding 30% are extremely rare.

At the education stage, Japan has the lowest share of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) within the OECD. Yet Japanese girls score among the top globally in scientific literacy in PISA 2022, and their mathematics performance is also strong in absolute terms.
The low share of STEM majors is not due to ability, but to personal choice.

Similarly, the relatively low rate of women aspiring to management (around 27.8%) and the proportion of female politicians (68 women elected, 14.6% in the 2026 lower house election) reflect the same structure.

Chapter 2 | Opportunities Must Not Be Denied by Systems

In the past, there were clear cases of discrimination, such as the Tokyo Medical University scandal, where female applicants’ scores were systematically adjusted to limit their admissions. Such practices were undeniably unjust.

However, today, institutional discrimination against women in Japan is virtually nonexistent.
On the contrary, there are numerous support mechanisms, including women-only train cars, women’s discount days, university quotas for women, and numerical targets under the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation.

System Overview

Law / Policy	Main Provisions	Nature
Equal Employment Opportunity Act	Prohibits gender discrimination in recruitment and hiring, assignment and promotion, and training	Explicit prohibition of discrimination
Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation	Requires companies (with 101+ employees) to analyze issues and formulate action plans	Promotion-focused, largely effort-based obligations
Child Care and Family Care Leave Act	Grants rights to childcare leave, shortened working hours, etc.	Support primarily centered on women
University Female Quotas / Various Preferences	Women-only slots in STEM fields, numerical targets for female managers, etc.	Preferential treatment (advantages granted)

It is fair to say that institutional barriers disadvantaging women in Japan have largely been removed.

Chapter 3 | The Rise of Reverse Discrimination and the Erosion of Meritocracy

Today, the trend is moving in the opposite direction.
Female quotas in national university STEM programs have expanded rapidly (736 slots in 2026, 19 times more than three years ago), and discussions on political gender quotas are intensifying.

These measures relax standards based solely on gender, which is a clear denial of meritocracy.

Mandatory quotas in Europe—systems that enforce fixed proportions—have distorted meritocracy and may have widened competitiveness gaps with the U.S. and China. If Japan follows the same path, corporate productivity and profitability will suffer.

Additionally, around 20% of men in their 20s feel that “women are being favored,” leading to declining motivation. Forced appointments for the sake of numbers undermine fairness within organizations and drive away high-performing talent. Favoring individuals based on gender also imposes stigma on the very women being promoted.

Chapter 4 | Meritocracy Does Not Need Gender

Whether male or female, ability, competence, and results are what matter.
Favoritism or exclusion based on gender both contradict meritocracy.

Labeling Japan’s current situation as “structural discrimination” and increasing intervention across society infringes on the freedom of career choice.

True equality means allowing individuals to compete on the same field regardless of gender and leaving outcomes to the market.

Forcing equality of outcomes undermines diversity and weakens the vitality of both organizations and society. Europe’s experience demonstrates that this is a real risk.

Japan is a rare country where institutional gender discrimination is nearly absent. Recognizing this reality and respecting individual choice is the hallmark of a truly mature society.

Chapter 5 | Sex Differences Exist—That’s Why Proper Allocation Matters

Neither men nor women are inherently superior. However, average differences do exist.

Scientific evidence confirms differences in physical ability, interests, risk tolerance, and attitudes toward work-life balance. Ignoring these realities and forcing a 50:50 outcome across all fields distorts productivity and efficiency.

Examples of Gender Differences in the Market

Field	Key Market Factors	Natural Outcome
Sports (soccer, baseball, basketball)	Male physical advantage (speed, power)	Male-generated revenue is overwhelmingly larger
Modeling	Female demand in fashion and beauty	Total female income is about 10 times that of males
Music / Artists	Separate audiences for men and women	Over the past 10 years: 4 female slots, 6 male slots; however, women often take 1st and 2nd place, resulting in overall balance

Women make up roughly half the market. In areas with strong female demand, such as product development and sales targeting women, it is natural—and appropriate—for women to have an advantage and be prioritized.

If policies forcibly replace women with men in leadership roles, imbalance will result. The reverse is equally true.

What matters is equality of opportunity.

Once equal conditions for competition are established, choices and outcomes should be left to the market and proper allocation of talent. This is the most rational and sustainable approach.

Chapter 6 | Focus on the Single-Parent Income Gap

Excessive numerical targets and forced promotion of women increase mismatches, raise turnover, weaken trust within organizations, and reduce motivation among high-performing employees—particularly young men. In the long term, this erodes corporate competitiveness.

That is why anything beyond equal opportunity is unnecessary.

The only issue that should be actively addressed is the income gap among single-parent households.

The average income of mother-led households is significantly lower than that of father-led households, directly contributing to child poverty. The causes must be thoroughly analyzed, and effective support measures strengthened.

If factors such as childcare environments or promotion opportunities are contributing causes, organizations should address them comprehensively, and governments should go beyond legal frameworks to provide proactive support.

A stable childcare environment benefits not only single parents but also dual-income households, increasing overall motivation for career advancement.

All other gender-focused measures—mandatory ratios, expanded quotas, awareness campaigns—are unnecessary and often harmful.

Companies should abandon the illusion that they must “increase the number of women” and return to evaluating individuals based purely on ability and performance. That is the true path to productivity improvement.

Conclusion | What True Equality of Opportunity Means

True equality of opportunity means that everyone can compete under the same rules, regardless of gender.
It does not mean enforcing equality of outcomes.

What determines success is not gender differences, but the capabilities of individuals, teams, and organizations.

Excessive gender policies that impose artificial numerical targets prevent a nation from fully leveraging its human potential.

The Japanese model—providing equal opportunities where merit determines outcomes—is sufficient.

That is the only path to sustainable competitiveness and a truly mature society.

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