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On December 17, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a ceremony to commend leading companies where women shine, at the Prime Minister's Office.
 
The Prime Minister said in his address,
 
“I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to the recipients today of these awards to commend leading companies where women shine.
 
This is the fifth annual ceremony, and recognition of this award has been gradually growing. I was told that a company commended last year has been highly recognized by students for the active participation of women in its workplace and the number of female applicants has increased, resulted in the hiring of many talented female employees.
 
Women make up half of all consumers.
 
Therefore, it is fair to say that the inability to understand how to develop products and services that women want to purchase and how to market products with women’s sensibilities can be fatal for businesses. We are in an age where talented female employees are the source of companies’ competitiveness and securing such employees is the core of their human resources and growth strategies.
 
In particular, the initiative by Saitama Resona Bank to promote the active participation of women not just within its own companies, but at its partner companies as well, is not only highly progressive but also truly economically rational, as it promotes the growth of local companies, which in turn benefits the bank’s core business as a financial institution. The active participation of women is the key to the new growth of the Japanese economy. Based on that strong recognition, the Abe administration has hoisted the flag high for it since its inauguration, and undertaken various initiatives to that end, including increasing the capacity of childcare facilities and enhancing paid childcare leave. As a result, the number of women in the workforce has increased by 2 million over these past five years, and the participation rate of women over 25 years old in all age categories has even surpassed that of the United States. We are seeing dramatic improvement in the issue of the so-called “M-shaped curve,” which has long been pointed out as an issue.
 
On the flip side, the competition to employ talented women is growing ever fiercer. I would therefore like to make a comment to all companies: we are now transitioning to an age where you need to shift your efforts to the next level towards a more workable environment for women if you are looking for talented female staff.
 
Yesterday marked the final episode of the television period drama “Segodon,” which featured the Meiji Restoration movement that started from Kagoshima. Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories is also from Kagoshima, the birthplace of this movement. With Kagoshima’s progressive nature, which led to the modernization of Japan during the Meiji period, the company leverages the voices of the women in the workplace and takes on new challenges, including addressing health needs specific to women, one after another.
 
Everyone commended here today is a true front-runner in promoting the active participation of women. Going forward, I ask you to continue serving as a leading, model company in your community and for Japan, and spread your wisdom on promoting women’s active participation. I also hope that you will drive the future growth of the Japanese economy. In concluding my remarks, I wish for your continued success and advancement towards a society in which all women shine. Congratulations once again.”