The Challenge
In 2022, marking its 150th anniversary, the Mainichi Shimbun, one of Japan’s leading newspaper companies, announced its "MAINICHI SHIMBUN 2030 VISION," aiming to contribute to a diverse society without leaving anyone behind. Despite this outward commitment to diversity, internal challenges such as long working hours, a rigid seniority system, strong departmental silos fostering “homogeneity” and “cohesion”, and slow progress in women's advancement were evident.
There was an urgent need to review these old practices within the company and update the organization with diversity. With a strong awareness of the need to further nurture and promote the employment of women, the Mainichi Shimbun, utilizing the knowledge gained from the DEI Acceleration Cohort Program provided by Google, announced the DEI Declaration in February 2024. Since then, the company-wide efforts have steadily produced positive results, particularly with the ratio of women in management positions rising from 14.1% to 16.7% as of June 2024.