The election in February of lawyer Reiko Fuchigami as president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA) was hailed a victory for gender equality in Japan. Her election made domestic and international headlines, as she is the first woman to be named chief of Japan’s largest organization of lawyers, founded in 1949.
When Fuchigami became a registered lawyer in 1983, few women worked in the profession. She has said she struggled to find work, as major law firms rarely hired women lawyers. Her first job was with a government ministry followed by work at a small legal office before going independent in the mid-1990s.
