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© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Japan Airlines gets first woman president
By MARI YAMAGUCHI TOKYO©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
26 Comments
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sakurasuki
It's good for diversity however will that solve all problems that company currently face?
リッチ
Did they do this to have an escape goat? Seems like very strange timing. And pilot error isn’t really management issue is there? Like so many other things I find it odd in timing. How about promoting people in good times? Not after the fact to try to change the topic. And why is the guy still in the middle at the press release I mean wouldn’t you expect the main person to be sat in the middle not the person announcing it??
Lindsay
Only in Japan would her gender make the headline.
Seigi
A woman is the perfect sacrificial lamb to face all the problems JAL is facing now, because she won't be as harshly criticized as compared to a male president.
Mickelicious
More of this, please.
Kenchi
diversity should never be a goal. The goal should be to get the best.
if diversity is your focus then you’ve lost already
One can only hope and have faith that JAL didn’t buy into that poisonous ideology and the new current president is the best they could hire
Peter Neil
ATC and the Japan Coast Guard crew will likely be found at fault in the Haneda incident.
JAL has not had a fatal accident since 1985.
What exactly is the crisis in JAL safely?
Skeptical
More than one newspaper venue told readers in the headline that she was a former flight attendant. And then largely glossed over mention of her experience, which seems to show considerable management experience within the company, at least according to the airline's PR. https://press.jal.co.jp/en/items/uploads/Press%20memo_Change%20of%20position_FNL.pdf.
First15
I take it you haven't heard how about the FAA's diversity guidelines: https://archive.ph/mlxrh
David Brent
We all know she isn't really in charge though. There is bound to be a man calling the shots closeby in the background.
K3PO
Congratulations. Tottori joined JAL in 1985, gaining almost 40 years of experience in the airline. She has been acknowledged as managing the COVID disruption very well.
Sawayama
Yes, you are correct, the position is called the chairman of the board. It works the same in the west.
Speed
Good news and about time. Many commentators above claim JAL is awash in troubles but I don't think that's really the case. They're doing all right. I'd love to see many more women on their board of directors. It's time for the all-mens club to disband and bring in the brightest and the best. Not only JAL.
purple_depressed_bacon
The woman is clearly both a scapegoat and a publicity stunt. With the recent bad press plaguing the company, they decided to shift the focus to, "oh look we put a woman in charge! How progressive we are." Not buying it.
zibala
I flew JAL during Covid, and I asked one of the flight attendants if she was going to get a Covid shot while she was in the States, as Japan had not yet rolled out their Covid program.
The FA told me she can't because she was told by JAL not to do so. Because it wouldn't be "fair".
Michael Machida
The timing seems suspicious.
Marc Lowe
So, in a sense, JAL is saying "We've fired another male president", isn't it? Some haters will say she is only going to be used as a scapegoat. Other haters will say, "JAL is just trying to make people forget the accident by appointing a female to get positive news exposure." Fact of the matter is that these folks are clueless about the airline industry, PR, and marketing. She will be an excellent president and JAL will soon set world records for quality, safety, punctuality, in-flight catering, comfort and frequency of flights. Expect to see flight attendant calendars featuring male flight attendants as a nod to the brave firefighters who unsuccessfully fought the fire caused by human idiocy at Haneda Airport. Under her leadership, no more capital goods will be destroyed. JAL stock is looking good.
Chico3
Excellent news getting a new President from within the company with years of hands-on experience in customer service, in-flight cabin attendant, passenger and crew management, along with numerous other qualifications. I'm sure she'll do a great job for JAL.
Chico3
Are you sure the previous President was fired? This is Japan, you know. Most likely, he just got reshuffled to another position within the organization. Nothing really changes.
MotMotMot
Freakanomics has done several shows on women executives.
There have been many studies that show women are often only offered the CEO/President position when a company is in trouble. Usually because men are not interested in taking on a job that's going to be very difficult and has a higher risk of failure.
kaimycahl
The heat in the kitchen was getting to hot so they replace the chef with a women to take the heat on more heat in the kitchen. Someone has to be a scapegoat!! This is more about adversity not diversity.
Wesley
I think they chose the correct person.
As a former flight stewardess, and one who remembers very well about Flight123, she knows the business inside out, especially when it comes to safety of passengers.
Not to mention that she must be someone special to have worked her way up from stewardess to president of an International Airlines.
GBR48
Disappointed at all the negative responses. This is a woman rising to the top in a sector that is male dominated, globally, in Japan. Someone who climbed the ladder rather than getting teleported in via nepotism.
If you can't be positive about this, is there anything you can be positive about, or do you just come here to complain about stuff?