Former Flight Attendant Mitsuko Tottori to Lead Japan Airlines

Her appointment marks a significant step in gender diversity in Japan's corporate sector, where women in leadership roles remain rare.

Mitsuko Tottori, a former flight attendant, will take over as president of Japan Airlines (JAL) in April, becoming one of the few women to lead a major global airline.
Tottori's rise to the top is significant in a country where advancement opportunities for women are limited and the gender wage gap is the worst among the Group of Seven countries.
Her appointment reflects JAL's organizational shift after a turnaround by industrialist Kazuo Inamori following its 2010 bankruptcy, emphasizing hands-on experience and customer focus.
Tottori's long experience managing cabin crews and safety was one of the reasons she was selected, and she becomes the fourth post-bankruptcy president and the first former flight attendant.
Despite a push for diversity, women account for only 13.4% of directors and executive officers at the firms listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's 'prime' market, and of these a mere 13% are internal hires.