Japan Airlines appoints first female president

TOKYO: Japan Airlines (JAL) on Wednesday announced its decision to promote senior executive Mitsuko Tottori to president, marking the first time a woman will hold the top job in the flag carrier’s history. Tottori, 59, now representative director and senior managing executive, will become the first female president of a Japanese carrier when she takes up the post on April 1, Xinhua news agency reported. Tottori, who joined the airline in 1985, will also become the first JAL president with a flight attendant background, according to a biography attached to the company’s online statement. Current president Yuji Akasaka will become president with representative authority after April 1. In 2020, Tottori, as senior vice president of cabin attendants, facilitated the transfer of the company’s cabin attendants to municipalities and other companies during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the airline industry was hit hard, Nikkei Asia reported. Had to face business circumstances. Last year, the Japanese government approved a women’s empowerment policy that aims to increase the proportion of female board members in companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s top tier Prime Market to more than 30 percent by 2030. This step was taken when the country’s companies are lagging behind America and Europe in promoting women to managerial positions.