WCD Japan Chapter Co-Chairperson, Kiyomi Saito

Experiencing the changes in women's advancement in society and working to support female executives

WCD Japan Chapter Co-Chairperson Kiyomi Saito

■ Profile
Born in 1950. After graduating from the Faculty of Economics at Keio University, he worked at Nikkei Inc. and Sony before earning an MBA from Harvard Business School. After working at Morgan Stanley Investment Bank and other companies, he founded what is now JBond Totan Securities Co., Ltd. in 2000, where he operates an electronic trading system for Japanese government bonds. While serving as an outside director for several companies, he has also translated and published around 25 business books.

After working at the Nikkei Shimbun, Sony, and Morgan Stanley, Saito currently runs J-Bond Totan Securities Co., Ltd., which she founded in 2000. While serving as an outside director for numerous companies, she is also co-managing director of the WCD Japan chapter, where she is committed to providing a forum where female executives can work together and improve themselves through friendly competition. We spoke to Saito about how she considered women's advancement in society at a time when it was still rare for women to work, and how she came to support female executives.

■ My student days expanded my relationships

　At the time, it was rare for women to go on to university, and even fewer women were employed. The Faculty of Economics at Keio University, where I enrolled, was a large faculty with approximately 2000 students, but only about 20 were women. Having loved reading and writing since childhood, I had hoped to study in the Faculty of Letters. However, my older brother advised me that I wouldn't read specialized books on economics or politics unless I was forced to, so I chose the Faculty of Economics. Focusing solely on studying wasn't fashionable at the time, so I joined basketball and judo clubs and met many friends. Those four years served as a preparation for entering society, broadening my social circle and learning how to interact with those around me. Having attended an all-girls high school up until then, I learned how vast the world is.

■How did you survive in an era when there were no career plans for women?

I had always aspired to be a journalist and wanted to work for a newspaper company, but at the time, no newspaper company was hiring women. The only company that accepted women was the Nihon Keizai Shimbun's Computer Division. I joined the company and hoped to be transferred to the editorial department later, but that was difficult for women in those days. Fifty years ago, the typical route for women was to graduate from junior college, work for a company for a few years, get married, and quit. At the time, computers were much less powerful than they are today, and the sense of accomplishment in work was low, so I reluctantly decided to retire. I considered finding a new job, but it was also a difficult time. I found a job listing in the newspaper and was able to join Sony, but of course there was no career plan for women, and there were very few women there. The jobs available to women were limited, and there were no options for interesting work. So, I wanted to obtain some kind of qualification and gain specialized knowledge, and after looking at various options, I ended up earning an MBA from Harvard Business School.

■ Aiming to promote women

　WCD's membership includes executives from a variety of companies. Because there are still few women serving as directors, the organization was established as a place for women to learn from and learn from each other. I became actively involved after being inspired by a study group I attended. With support from the auditing firm KPMG, our goal is to help members become individuals who can contribute to their companies. Female directors are still largely unrecognized, even in the United States. There are very few women with management experience, and directors are often university professors, certified public accountants, lawyers, or other individuals with specialized knowledge. For those without management experience, I believe the organization serves as a very useful support organization. Companies often struggle to find talented female candidates for outside director positions, and we are increasingly contacting them through the WCD network. I feel that the opportunity to exchange opinions and share concerns after study groups is a great support for women facing challenges and difficulties in working in a male-dominated society.

■From her experience as a full-time housewife to supporting working women

　Women are still a minority in the corporate world, so the word "women" is inevitably used in phrases like "female entrepreneurs" and "female directors." However, there are also benefits, such as opportunities to develop women as a minority, such as access to loans when starting a new business, and people remember your name because of the uniqueness of being a woman. Perhaps the reason female entrepreneurs are more likely to be featured in articles is because women are still a minority. I grew to love my work because I enjoy the sense of accomplishment it brings. It's a shame that so many women don't experience this joy. This is what made me interested in supporting younger women. Actually, after I left the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, I became a full-time housewife. Becoming a full-time housewife meant losing my name. Neighbors started calling me "Mrs. X" instead of my real name. I felt resentful. I wondered what my life had been like up until that point. It was expected that a full-time housewife would do housework and cook delicious food; otherwise, they would complain. I felt like being a full-time housewife meant everything was negative, from zero to nothing. Because of this experience, and the valuable academic background I gained from Harvard University, I wanted to use it to help working women.

■Message to university students

　I think that student life is "restricted" because there are so many options. Choosing your own life is very difficult, and it's not easy to find what you want to do. However, because of this restriction, I want you to realize the wonderfulness of being confused by the many options available. In order to carve out your own path in life, I think it's important to acquire the quality to be accepted anywhere. I hope that you will cherish the environment that you have been given, that is, university, while improving your own skills.

Interview with Student Newspaper Online on January 23, 2025 by Sophia University third-year student, Himari Shirasaka