Mitsuko Tottori: Japan Airlines’ First Female President and CEO Transforming Aviation

TFD – Dive into the transformative leadership of Mitsuko Tottori, Japan Airlines’ first female president and CEO, as she pioneers advancements in aviation safety and promotes gender diversity in corporate leadership. Discover the impact of her journey on industry norms and women’s empowerment.

As Mitsuko Tottori acknowledges, Japan still has a long way to go in elevating people like her to positions of chief executive.

Tottori’s career, which started nearly 40 years ago when she joined the airline as a flight attendant, culminated in January when she was selected as the first female president and chief executive of Japan Airlines (JAL).

Her ascent is an uncommon achievement in a country where women still encounter significant barriers to advancement.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday at the airline’s Tokyo headquarters, she stated that Japan was still in the process of setting the initial aim to raise the number of female managers. “I hope that when a woman becomes president of Japan, people there won’t be shocked by it.”

“I really hope to see more and more of (women) in the future. We do want to seriously increase the number of (women) managers, and more than that, I think it’s important that women themselves want to be active,” she continued.

The 59-year-old Tottori started working for the national carrier in 1985. Thirty years later, in 2015, she became senior director of cabin attendants and was steadily promoted up the ranks.

Her history is very different from that of her forebears. It is very uncommon for a former flight attendant to advance to a leadership position. Seven of the ten previous presidents of JAL are alums of the esteemed University of Tokyo. Tottori, on the other hand, attended the two-year Kwassui Women’s Junior College in Nagasaki, which is a part of a network of establishments that has been crucial to the advancement of women’s higher education.

The previous president began as a pilot, while Tottori’s predecessor had experience with aircraft maintenance.

Tottori’s “high level of insight and field experience in safe flight operations and service throughout her career” and her “significant contribution to maintaining safe operations during the Covid-19 pandemic” were two of the grounds given by JAL for moving her to a senior position.

As the airline dealt with the consequences from the horrific collision of aircraft 516 at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on January 2 as well as the ongoing safety crisis at Boeing (BA), Tottori took over as CEO on April 1.

significant mishap

Five persons were killed when the Airbus A350 passenger airliner struck a coast guard aircraft on the runway as it landed at Haneda. The crew of JAL flight 516, who were commended for their quick thinking and calm responses, followed an exceptional safety process that resulted in the safe evacuation of all 379 passengers.

Tottori claims she saw the event happen on television. She complimented the passengers and staff for their prompt evacuation.

First of all, I believe that our clients’ collaboration was really substantial. They actually and obediently obeyed the flight crew’s orders, which I believe was a major contributing element. Furthermore, I believe it was critical that the safety training’s outcomes were fully fulfilled,” the woman added.

Tottori promised to put everyone’s safety first. When JAL flight 123 from Tokyo to Osaka collapsed the year she started working for the airline, 520 of the 524 people on board perished, making it the deadliest single-aircraft catastrophe in aviation history.

Safety is the top priority in the aviation sector, according to Shukor Yusof, founder of Endau Analytics, which monitors the sector. Tottori’s experience will help advance safety measures.

Japan’s “culture of safety” is superior to that of many other nations, including developed ones. Sadly, JAL has experienced a few unpleasant mishaps in the past (flight 123 in 1985 and the most recent one in January 2024). He stated, “I do believe a woman can help improve the already high safety protocols at JAL, especially one with a track record as cabin crew.”

gender disparity

Tottori’s appointment coincides with Japan Inc.’s ongoing efforts to close the obvious gender gap and increase diversity at elite companies.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2023, Japan is placed 125 out of 146 countries, down nine spots from the previous year and significantly lower than other developed countries in the Group of Seven.

Japan is the least gender parate country in the Asia-Pacific area, trailing only Myanmar and Fiji.

As of 2023, the Global Gender Gap report indicates that women occupied just 12.9% of senior and leadership positions.

“Some female employees are having difficulties advancing in their careers or going through personal experiences. After they see my selection as president, I hope to inspire them or motivate them to take the next step,” Tottori stated in January.

By 2030, the government wants to see thirty percent of women in senior management positions at large publicly traded corporations. It also promises to assist in creating a pipeline for women to advance in these positions.

However, internal change has been sluggish.

Corporate Japan, according to Dr. Seijiro Takeshita, a management and information professor at the University of Shizuoka, has not done enough to guarantee that there are women in the executive pipeline who will be promoted to C-suite positions.

“Cultures, customs, and traditions are difficult to break through. However, it is approaching,” he remarked. “It’s really encouraging to see a woman lead Japan’s top company as CEO.”

He predicted that stakeholders and the general public would view Tottori’s appointment as “very positive,” particularly considering that she ascended through the ranks of the organization by using a “non-elite” route.

Takeshita stated, “The announcement of the Cabin crew becoming CEO is well received, especially by JAL employees who would much rather see their ‘comrades’ become CEO rather than a CEO from other firms or bureaucrats or ex-politicians.”

Yusof claims that JAL has recovered fairly successfully from the Covid-19 outbreak, taking advantage of the increased interest from tourists in the nation.

Nevertheless, All Nippon Airways, its domestic rival, is also performing fairly well. While the yen’s continuous depreciation benefits travelers, fewer Japanese are traveling overseas, he added.