Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has a chance to appoint a second female to the Bank of Japan's Policy Board next year, which would mark a first in the institution's 132-year history, said one of his advisers, Etsuro Honda.
"Increasing the number of females would be a good thing," Honda, 59, said in a recent interview at the prime minister's office. At the same time, the central bank needs people who "clearly understand" the importance of reflationary policy for the success of "Abenomics," he said.
With Sayuri Shirai the only woman on the BOJ's nine-member board, adding a second female policymaker would bolster Abe's bid to promote women in management in business and government.