Since 1988, we have been hiring women for career-track positions and providing the same residential education in the first year for both men and women. We have also been hiring full-time female employees since FY 2001 for on-the-job workplaces such as railway station operations (from FY 2021 onward, at Tokyu Railways). We are also promoting the appointment of women to core positions by identifying candidates for management positions from an early stage within the company and actively dispatching them to and training them in external training programs. As a result, we now have a number of female managers, including executive officers, working actively in their respective workplaces.
Today, the number of female employees who leave the company due to marriage or childbirth has decreased significantly due to support to balance work and family life, and we believe that the challenge for the future is how to increase the number of female employees. To solve this problem, we believe that it is necessary for a large number of female employees to continue to work, gain a wide range of knowledge and experience through their respective jobs, and steadily advance their careers. In particular, we believe that the presence of female leaders (role models) will become increasingly important. Therefore, in 2014, we set a goal of doubling the number of female managers by FY 2020 compared to FY 2014 (40 women, 10%). In order to achieve these goals, we are developing measures from three perspectives: systems, culture, and mindset. Specifically, we have established systems that meet the needs of our employees, such as expanding the sliding scale work hours and offering support to care for sick children, and have been holding the Management Seminar for Managers every year since FY 2015 for all managers (executive officers and key personnel) who play a central role in fostering the corporate culture. Moreover, to improve the mindset of female employees, we have held the Tokyu Group Forum for Female Managers since FY 2014, and Kagayaki With, an exchange meeting between young female employees and senior female managers, since FY 2015, and we launched a mentoring system in FY 2017. As a result of various initiatives, the number of female managers reached 40 in October 2019, about one year ahead of the period stated in the General Employers Action Plan. In FY 2020, we formulated a new action plan and are continuing to build a well-developed Women’s Leadership Pipeline to actively support the further advancement of women.
Tokyu Corporation
more information on the action plan. (Only available in Japanese)
Tokyu Railways
more information on the action plan. (Only available in Japanese)
Tokyu Corporation
＊The figures for the appointment of women to management positions include those seconded from the company but do not include those seconded to the company.
With the aim of further promoting the activities of female employees, we joined the NPO J-Win＊ in April 2014, and 20 female employees (assistant manager and manager level) have joined as members to date. In addition to building a women’s network and acquiring the latest information, 26 of our female managers (including general managers, managers and seconded employees) have participated in the Next Stage activities for women with a clear intention to “rise to the top in various fields of the company and society.”
＊J-Win is a corporate membership organization established in April 2007 to support the promotion and establishment of diversity management in companies. J-Win provides various activities to support the promotion of diversity management in companies, including advice and consultancy on the participation of women, seminars, lectures, and various surveys.
In FY 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2021, we dispatched three female general managers and one female executive officer to the WIL, a study group for the next generation of female leaders who will be active in companies, jointly organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Business Policy Forum, Japan.
Since FY 2016, we have dispatched a total of five people, including four female general managers and managers and one female officer of a subsidiary, to the Harvard Business School (HBS) program with the aim of fostering female leaders who can take charge of future corporate management.
We dispatched two female officers from our subsidiaries to a program where they received advice and messages from Keidanren executives with the aim of building their future careers and networking.
In order to boost awareness and motivation to become a manager, we dispatched five female employees (senior staff level and above) to a program to learn about various role models, develop their future careers, and build networks with people outside the company.
In April 2016, one of our female managers participated as a panelist in the Policy Symposium: Promoting the Advancement of Women x Changing the Perceptions of Male Managers organized by the Network for Policy Analysis, a public-private partnership policy platform.
Over the past three years, we have dispatched a cumulative total of 17 assistant managers, including those from our consolidated companies, to open seminars (seminars where managers from various companies talk about their own career development trajectories and real-life experiences and interact with each other, with the aim of raising women's awareness of career development) for female employees who are one step ahead of managers.
Our female employees are active in many divisions and are involved in a variety of initiatives to develop products and improve service capabilities. Below are some representative examples.
We hope to continue to develop products and services from a wide variety of perspectives to meet the expectations of more customers.
For a long time, we have been faced with a shortage of office seats and meeting rooms. Therefore, the female employee in charge of general affairs, who has experience in designing detached houses, took the lead in creating an office environment that would make employees want to continue working here and customers who visit our company want to work with this company. Incorporating the knowledge of employees with long experience in general affairs, as well as the opinions of younger employees, we have completely renovated the Sakuragaoka-cho building at the head office, opened satellite offices exclusively for employees in areas served by Tokyu’s railway lines, and installed our first dedicated refreshment space in the Nanpeidai-cho building at the head office. We have created "a place where employees can work, connect, and relax." We are now able to provide a place where everyone from all walks of life can work comfortably, with a focus area, private booths, a variety of meeting seats, and a drinks corner to meet the specific needs of employees. Employees are happy with these changes: ‘It’s so motivating’; ‘It’s totally different and encouraging’.
The Tsunashima area is attracting attention due to the opening of the Shin-tsunashima Station＊ on the Tokyu Shin-Yokohama Line in the second half of FY 2022 and the redevelopment of the area around the new station. Ahead of the opening of the new station, Etomo Tsunashima opened in March 2020 in Tsunashima Station, under the elevated railway tracks. A project team of mostly female employees was in charge of development, operation, and construction and involved in everything from planning and development to operation. The entire facility has been designed with a warm and welcoming atmosphere to provide a place where people can relax and take a break in front of the station, where many people come and go. In addition, with the intention of creating an atmosphere where all, including female, customers can casually drop by, we have invited cafes and sweets stores and installed wooden benches in the common areas, which has attracted many customers – not only women but also the elderly. In the future, we will continue to work on creating new vibrant places to meet the diverse needs associated with the opening of the new station and the development of the surrounding area.
＊The name of the station will be formally decided after the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency, the main station developer, and Tokyu Railways and Sagami Railway, the main station operators, consult with Kanagawa Prefecture and Yokohama City in accordance with the Act on Enhancement of Convenience of Urban Railways, etc and obtain their consent.
As working mothers, female employees with a desire to create a high-quality educational environment and various learning opportunities that will enhance their children’s future launched the Kids’ VALLEY Future Learning Project in 2019 together with the Shibuya Ward Board of Education and four Shibuya-based IT companies (CyberAgent, DeNA, GMO Internet, and Mixi). With the shortage of employees in the field of AI and the need for IT education becoming a social issue, this project aims to support programming education, which is about to become compulsory in elementary and junior high schools, and to nurture human resources from Shibuya with the qualities and abilities necessary for the new era. We are using our relationship strength to develop a new infrastructure for learning by combining the knowhow and power of IT companies and the government. In the future, we will continue to expand the program not only in Shibuya, but also in areas served by Tokyu’s railway lines to create an environment where it is easy to raise children.
＊The affiliation and contents are as of the time of the interview.
Executive Officer, Lifestyle Service Business Headquarters
Mie Kanai
I joined Tokyu Cable Television (now Its Communications) because I wanted to create convenient and comfortable at-home living, which is now commonplace but was positioned as the “future” when I was job hunting. I drew on 30 years’ experience in product planning, sales promotion, and media business to make it possible to watch foreign news in real time, and enjoy new movies, domestic and international dramas, sports of various genres, and shopping from the comfort of my home. In the meantime, I have been confronted with the digitalization of broadcasting, the spread of the Internet, and other changes and technological innovations that keep coming. I always keep an eye on the changing lifestyles of our customers and hope to continue to please them beyond their expectations. Since 2017, I have been seconded to our company, where I am in charge of a wider range of lifestyle services. I would like to continue to deliver a safe, convenient, and comfortable living infrastructure (which fosters) healthy lifestyles, allowing people to live their lives to the fullest, and the liveliness and excitement of the city.
Seconded to Tokyu Security Inc. Director and General Manager, System Security Division,
Yumiko Seino
I joined the company because I wanted to be involved in comprehensive urban development that would make my daily work and life enjoyable and happy, with a focus on stations, where many people gather. After joining the company, I was mainly in charge of business management in the urban development business, management and operation of mixed-use and office buildings, and management planning and new store openings when I was transferred to a commercial facility management company. In 2016, I returned to work in the development department, where I was in charge of next-generation suburban development, development in Shibuya, and area management to promote urban development together with the local community. In 2019, I was transferred to Tokyu Security, where I am in charge of home security and other personal businesses in areas served by Tokyu’s railway lines, providing services that allow customers to feel safe and secure in their daily lives.
Seconded to Tokyu Card Corporation Director,
Keiko Nawata
I joined the company because I thought I would be able to be involved in a wide range of businesses and that I would be able to do work that would leave a lasting impression, even though I am a liberal arts major. My first assignment was to a department that was in charge of group companies and, over the years, of business reconstruction after the bubble economy. I returned to work at the company after a five-year secondment to Tokyu Department Store, where I had a child and took childcare leave. While working to improve customer satisfaction in the customer satisfaction promotion division, I learned the importance of maintaining high, and even exceeding, customer expectations for Tokyu and realized the importance of pride and satisfaction in the work of those involved in the business to achieve this. After that, I was transferred to Tokyu Card, where I am working to provide a variety of services to ensure that credit cards are used safely, comfortably, and conveniently and that people enjoy using their cards beyond their role as a means of payment and become more familiar with and attached to Tokyu through the use of their cards.
Seconded to SHIBUYA109 Entertainment, Inc. President & Representative Director,
Ayumi Ishikawa
After working for a telecommunications company, I joined the company as a mid-career worker because I wanted to be involved in urban development that is more closely related to people’s lives. I was involved in designing various services and building IT platforms to utilize customer contact points, such as railways and retail, as the Group’s customer base, and then worked in the Retail Business Headquarters, where I was in charge of developing mid-term strategies and promoting DX (Digital Transformation) in the retail business.
Under the vision of “Making You Shine! Making young people’s present shine and their dreams and wishes come true,” SHIBUYA109 Entertainment has been able to hear the insights of Generation Z through the operation of commercial facilities and various media and marketing businesses. We are also working on a variety of initiatives to transform ourselves into a “youth solutions company” that builds bridges between Generation Z and companies and society as a whole, bringing their enthusiasm and needs into the wider society.
The railway business has traditionally been a male-dominated workplace. In 2001, however, we began hiring female employees in the railway field (currently hired by Tokyu Railways) in order to further improve the service aspect of the business amid intensifying competition with other companies in the industry. Currently, about 14% of conductors are women, and the number of women stationmaster and female drivers is increasing. By bringing women into a male-dominated workplace, a variety of perspectives can be incorporated, resulting in improved service and a better image for the railway business.
Seconded to Tokyu Railways Stationmaster of Jiyugaoka Station
Kae Soga
After joining the company, I worked at the head office of the Railway Business Unit, where I was in charge of human resources development. Utilizing my knowledge and experience in human resources development, in 2016, as an Assistant Stationmaster at Shibuya Station, we conducted individual interviews with approximately 80 female station attendants to resolve their concerns and anxieties about physical conditions, work, human relations, and balancing work with childcare. The goal was to create an environment in which everyone could work comfortably. Currently, as the Jiyugaoka Stationmaster, I place the highest priority on the safety of our customers and actively interact with the local shopping community to make the town and station of Jiyugaoka more exciting. Also, if other station attendants ask for individual advice, I listen to them, we think together, and I lead them to a solution. Increasing the satisfaction of our employees will ultimately lead to the safety and security of our customers. We will continue to make every effort to provide comfortable services to our customers.
Providing safe, comfortable, and best station services at the high-profile Shibuya Station
Rina Hashimoto
Railway Operation Division, Shibuya Station
Inspection and maintenance directly related to train operation
Tomomi Sekiguchi
Rolling Stock Division, Motosumiyoshi Car Inspection Section
Building stations and decorating the city
Riko Kodama
Facility Section, Facility Engineering & Construction Division
Natsuki Saito
Seconded to Shibuya Scramble Square
Maria Kanazawa
Public Relations Group, Corporate Affairs Headquarters
/ Seconded to Tokyu Railways Public Relations& Customer Service Section, Customer Service＆Employee Satisfaction Division
Maya Kamihigashi
Seconded to Tokyu Security Inc.
Fumi Nagai
Architecture and Engineering Group, Urban Development Headquarters
/ Construction Mamagement Group, Property Management Division, Tokyu Property Management
Yo Naito
Seconded to Tokyu Railways Co., Ltd.
Our female Assistant Manager and Human Resources Manager were featured in “Ryoritsu Shien no Hiroba.” This is a compilation of good examples of companies where women in managerial, sales, technical, and professional positions are working vigorously, without giving up either work or childcare, in order to build a workplace environment where women can continue working for a long time after childbirth and childcare, and serve as a reference for working women themselves.