Japan Airlines has announced the appointment of Mitsuko Tottori as its new president, the first female to take the prestigious role.
The former flight attendant joined the airline in 1985, rising through the ranks to become executive officer and senior vice president of cabin attendants in 2020. She was subsequently appointed to senior managing executive officer and senior vice president, customer experience in charge of brand communication in April 2023. In June of that year, she was promoted to vice president of customer experience and chief customer officer.
Tottori will take up the new position effective from April 1, replacing current president Yuki Akasaka, who will then become chairperson.
The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report, compiled in June 2023, estimates that only 12.9% of senior officers in the Japanese workforce are women; ranking the nation's economic participation and opportunity parity 123rd out of 146 countries assessed.