TOKYO —

Women represented 20.1% of those who passed the top-tier civil service examination in Japan for fiscal 2009, topping the 20% line for the first time since the current test began in 1960, the National Personnel Authority said Tuesday. Women were among the 1,494 successful applicants for the Level-1 exam, down 51 from fiscal 2008, the authority said.
   
The ratio of women among all successful applicants hit a record high for the second year in a row, following 19.2% posted in fiscal 2008. The number of successful women for administrative positions—in law, the economy and administration—came to an all-time high of 179, up by five from the preceding year and accounting for a record 23.7% of 755 successful applicants for the three areas. A personnel authority official traced the rise in successful female applicants to its aggressive campaign for recruiting women, such as sponsoring seminars and explanatory briefings for them.
   

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3 Comments

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  DeeDeeRam1 at 01:04 PM JST - 24th June

  The article lacks a bit of crucial information: what was the overall ratio of women taking the test?

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  Mittsu at 01:21 PM JST - 24th June

  This ratio should be higher. In my experience women are way harder and cleverer workers than men in Japan.

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  Tiresias at 04:40 PM JST - 24th June

  A personnel authority official traced the rise in successful female applicants to its aggressive campaign for recruiting women, such as sponsoring seminars and explanatory briefings for them.

  It's not because they work hard or have ability or talent, it is because of seminars that more women got in. Half the population finally gets one fifth of the top civil service positions: wow.

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