Japan must turn over a new page in order to write the next chapter in its gender equality efforts. But despite signs of progress over the past decade, continued low international rankings for women's participation in the workforce show the country’s political and business leaders still suffer from a severe case of writer’s block.

How to move on, and whether to do so through essentially voluntary efforts and targets or legal quotas to raise the percentage of female politicians and corporate leaders, formed the basis of much of the discussion at the 26th International Conference for Women in Business, an online event held Sunday, supported by The Japan Times.

With Japan facing a general election this autumn, how to encourage and support more female candidates was one concern. Only 9.9% of Lower House members and 22.9% of Upper House members were women as of January 2020, according to the Cabinet Office.