Japan Airlines has appointed a former flight attendant as its first female president, according to a statement issued by JAL Group.
Set to become the first female leader of any major Japanese carrier, Mitsuko Tottori will take the reins at the airline from 1 April 2024, replacing current president Yuri Akasaka, who will become the JAL Group chairperson while holding a representative director title.
Currently, a Japan Airlines senior managing executive officer, Tottori joined the airline in 1985. She quickly climbed the ladder at the organisation to senior leadership roles, mostly within the cabin crew and safety departments.
Tottori’s appointment is a symbolic but significant step in a country where the gender divide in workplaces is vast.
According to the Japan Times, the gender pay gap in Japan is the worst among G7 nations and almost twice as high as the average of OECD nations.
“There are female employees out there who are struggling with their career steps or going through big life events,” Tottori told a press conference.
“I hope my appointment as a president can encourage them, or give them the courage to take the next step.”
By March 2026, Japan Airlines has set a goal for women to represent 30 per cent of managers in the entire group, up from 22.8 per cent as of March 2023, the Times reports.
According to JAL, changes in the senior executive structure will be made at a later date.
“The JAL Group will strive in unity towards ensuring the highest level of safety in all flight operations, continue to improve the quality of the products and services to our valued customers, and raise its corporate value and contribute to the growth and development of society,” it said in a statement.
It adds that Tottori brings a “high level of insight and field experience” in safety operations and service.
Current chairperson Yoshiharu Ueki will retire from his role in April 2024, leaving his director title upon shareholder approval in June.
The announcement comes two weeks after a plane collision at Tokyo Haneda Airport involving a Japan Coast Guard plane and a Japan Airlines jet. No one on board the JAL aircraft, which was not at fault for the accident, was seriously injured, although five people on board the other plane were killed.
