SASEBO, Nagasaki Pref. -- Female business leaders from 10 countries shared their experiences Friday and encouraged each other with the knowledge that their roles in business and society will be more important in the coming century.

During a session on the final day of a three-day gathering of the 8th Women Entrepreneurs International Exchange Program 2000, the executives discussed various issues under the theme "Creating New Business through Regional Development -- Aiming for the Sustainable Development of Economy and Society."

There has never been a better time for women to start a new business, according to keynote speaker Dianne Patterson, vice chairwoman of Committee 200, an influential U.S. group made up of female corporate leaders.

"Women-owned businesses (in the U.S.) are growing at a rate six times faster than those started by male counterparts," she told an audience of about 100 people.

She also said female-owned businesses are more considerate to their workforce, such as offering flexible hours, child-care subsidies and other family-friendly practices.

Chin-Yu Hsieh from Taiwan, who serves as director of the Chinese Women Career Development Association, echoed Patterson's remarks, saying more women are entering professions that used to be held only by men in Taiwan.

"We are producing our own shows, starting our own companies and entering the new age of information technology, marketing, finance and many other services," she said.

Yoko Kitaoka, vice president of the Kyushu New Business Conference, a group that promotes new businesses, said there are business opportunities for female entrepreneurs in the area of child-care assistance services.

Her organization is now studying new business strategies in the field, she added.

Many participants emphasized that women can offer different views on business, backing this up with their own suggestions for chemical-free houses and community-based businesses, including nursing and child care.

The event was organized by the Committee for the Year 2001, which was set up in 1977 to improve people's living standards.

Yuri Konno, CEO of Dial Service Co., Japan's first infant care telephone counseling service, is chairwoman of the committee.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the participants visited companies in the prefecture -- including Huis Ten Bosch Co., Marine Techno Research Inc. and Discovery Co. -- to learn about their business management styles and environment-related activities.