Japan has moved up exactly one place in the World Economic Forum's annual Global Gender Gap Report, landing 117th out of 145 economies. That's progress of a sort, but it still leaves the country dead last among G7 nations — far behind Britain in fifth and Germany in ninth, and even trailing Italy, the next-lowest of the group, which sits at 83rd.
The report scores countries from 0 to 1, with 1 representing full parity between men and women. Japan edged up to 0.670 from 0.666 the previous year. The big driver of the improvement? Politics. The election of Sanae Takaichi as Japan's first woman prime minister was flagged as a "historical development" that lifted the country's political empowerment score. Even so, Japan ranks just 121st for political participation, 119th for economic participation and opportunity, 68th for education and 49th for health and survival.
The regional picture is no more flattering. Among East Asia and Pacific economies, Japan has the third-lowest overall ranking, behind China (96th) and South Korea (101st). The Forum also noted that Japan's pace of change has been glacial: since the index began in 2006, its score has barely moved, with modest gains coming mainly from economic and political parity rather than sweeping shifts. Globally, the think tank estimates full gender parity is 120 years away.
This year's edition added a first-ever look at the AI sector, finding women are consistently underrepresented at seniority levels in AI companies compared with non-AI firms — a reminder that even the world's newest industries are reproducing old imbalances.
Why should travellers care? Because the numbers explain a lot about what visitors notice on the ground in Japan: the relative absence of women in leadership roles at hotels, restaurants and corporate offices, and the persistence of old-fashioned gender norms in workplaces and public life, even amid ultramodern cityscapes. It's also a country where solo female travel is famously safe and well-supported — the paradox of a place that is easy and secure for women to visit, yet where women remain underrepresented in positions of power.
For anyone travelling to Japan with an interest in contemporary society, the story adds useful context to conversations with locals, tours focused on women's history and culture — from Kyoto's centuries-long tradition of female tea masters to modern women-led businesses in Tokyo and Osaka — and social enterprises that visitors can actively support. Japan remains one of the world's most rewarding destinations; the ranking is simply a reminder of the social realities behind the polished surface. Details first reported by Kyodo via Japan Today.