Joined the company in 1985. New president of Tottori.
Overcoming the ‘local junior college graduate from another company’ bias
“Safety-service is everything… “I will do it my way”
The airline industry is strongly conservative even in Japan… “A symbolic event in Japan’s fight against gender discrimination”
When camera reporters asked him to strike a pose, he opened his eyes wide and could hardly keep his expression straight. Even as he held the microphone, he swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and only then opened his mouth thoughtfully.
“The basics of an airline are safety and service. These two things are what my career is all about. I will continue to do my best in the future.”
There are 36,000 employees. Executive Director Mitsuko Tottori (鳥取三津子, 60), who was appointed as the new president of Japan Airlines (JAL), a 73-year-old national flag carrier representing Japan, on the 17th, expressed her aspirations in a brief but straightforward statement. It was the first time that a former female flight attendant was selected as the president of an airline in the airline industry, which is considered conservative even in Japan.
In Japan, a country famous for its high ‘glass ceiling’ for women, President Tottori’s inauguration is seen as a ‘shocking event’. In the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) last year’s ‘Gender Gap Report’, Japan ranked 125th in the gender equality index out of 146 countries surveyed. Reuters commented, “(His inauguration) is a very symbolic step for Japanese women who are fighting gender discrimination in the workplace.”
President Tottori, born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1964, graduated from the English Department of Nagasaki Gassui Women’s Junior College and began his career in the aviation industry as a cabin attendant for Toa Domestic Airlines in 1985. The university he graduated from was closed in 2005, and Doa Airlines, later renamed Japan Air System (JAS), was merged with Japan Airlines in 2006 and disappeared through absorption and merger.
Just as you think of stewardesses when you think of airplanes, airlines have a high proportion of female flight attendants. However, it is extremely rare for women to reach high-level executive positions. At Japan Airlines, only 7 out of 32 executives are women. For reference, among Korean Air’s 74 executives (excluding outside directors), only 2 managing directors are women.
For President Tottori, ‘women’ were not the only obstacle. Graduating from a local two-year university or working at a merged company were also difficult labels for corporate life. But he was confident. In an interview, he said, “I chose the two-year program because I wanted to enter society quickly. “I didn’t have time to play,” he said. At one time, there was a faction within Japan Airlines between ‘JAL graduates’ and ‘JAS graduates’, but President Tottori actively utilized diversity to improve the organizational culture.
President Yuji Akasaka, who will hand over the position to President Tottori and take office as chairman, said, “The fate of the company depends on how we can bring out the power of many people.” He added, “In this era of diversified business, team management is necessary. “It’s time,” he emphasized.
President Tottori, who has worked as a flight attendant ever since joining the company, will take office as head of the cabin division in 2020. However, he had no time to enjoy joy due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19). This is because the crew faced the worst situation where they could only fly two or three days a month.
The head of Tottori’s headquarters at the time decided that the first priority was to revive the spirits of employees who were discouraged and worried about losing their jobs. In connection with companies and government offices, dispatch was sent to call centers, cargo work, and office work. In recognition of his efforts to keep employees employed, he became Chief Customer Officer (CCO) in June of last year.
He is always evaluated as having ‘the temperament of a woman’s wife’ but also being principled. He said that even in internal meetings, when he was biased towards the organization’s perspective, he often changed the conclusion by pointing out, “Do customers really want that?” In particular, he is famous both inside and outside of the country for his stubbornness about cleaning bathrooms. In 2020, when an internet travel company selected Japan Airlines as ‘No. 1 in overall satisfaction,’ they said, “We cleaned the bathroom with all our hearts.” He also expressed his thoughts on receiving the award, saying, “I want to be the best in the world in terms of cleanliness.”
There is an incident that President Tottori has never forgotten since he joined the company. The ‘JAL Flight 123 crash’ occurred in 1985, the first year of employment, and killed 525 people. He said, “The shock at that time is still engraved in his heart. “We have a responsibility to inherit the importance of safety.”
In the airline industry, there is an opinion that President Tottori, who was in charge of cabin service, was promoted to president in recognition of his contribution to safely evacuating passengers in the JAL fire incident at Tokyo Haneda Airport on the 2nd. President Tottori also said, “I had a strong sense of mission to rescue everyone. It was thanks to the cooperation of our customers, but I am proud of the nine crew members (on board at the time).”
In Japanese society, where gender discrimination still persists, President Tottori’s inauguration is not simply accepted. In Japan, the proportion of female executives at listed companies was only 13.4% as of last year. Korea’s top 100 companies account for only 6.0%. President Tottori said, “I hope (my promotion) will give strength and courage to female employees who are having difficulty building their careers.”
Tokyo =
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.