Anew task force will be formed to help close the economic gender gap in Japan through cooperation among government, business and social leaders, and Japanese members of the World Economic Forum.

The annual report from the World Economic Forum, a Geneva-based nonprofit foundation, has consistently found Japan's gender gap ranking to be one of the worst of any developed country. This year Japan's gender equality came in at an embarrassing 101st out of 135 countries. China is in 69th place.

The goals of the task force are to improve Japan's economic competitiveness by improving the opportunities for women to participate in the economy. The task force aims to help revitalize society as well as the economy by bringing Japan into line with other developed countries. The task force's approach will continue to collect important data, but more importantly it will set up concrete interactions, interventions and programs.