An international forum for women that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dubs "women's Davos forum" will be held in Tokyo and its surrounding region between Sept. 12 and 14, featuring such female leaders as International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, government officials said Tuesday.
The World Assembly for Women in Tokyo, modeled on the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, is part of Abe's efforts to bring more women into work.
Sessions during the first two days will be held in Tokyo, including a keynote speech by Lagarde on Sept. 12. An outing to the Hakone area or Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture is being planned on Sept. 14, among other activities.
On Tuesday, Abe expressed his eagerness to strengthen pro-women measures, telling other ruling coalition lawmakers the government will host the forum in September that "we should also call women's Davos forum."
The Abe government has set a target of raising the proportion of women in leading positions to at least 30 percent by 2020, with Abe seeking to submit a bill to the Diet in the fall that would require municipal governments and companies to set targets for women's advancement to senior positions.
The women's forum will be hosted by the Japanese government and several groups, including Keidanren.