Inaugurated by Kaori Sasaki in 1996, Japan’s annual International Conference for Women in Business (ICWB) has become a renowned forum for discussing diversity in the workplace. Under the theme of Go Beyond, this year’s conference on Sept. 27 will take place online, making it accessible to more people than ever. Sasaki, the founder and CEO of consultancy Ewoman Inc. and Unicul International Inc., talked about this year’s event while also reflecting on highlights from the last quarter century.
“We generally have around 1,000 attendees gathering, and we had big plans for the 25th year. Then with the arrival of the coronavirus, we considered our options and we decided to go ahead with the event online,” Sasaki explained. She pointed out that the theme Go Beyond means not only embracing changes, but also using them as a catalyst to take the next step — both for one’s organization and in one’s personal endeavors.
The ICWB typically attracts people from around 20 countries, but Sasaki hopes conducting it online will draw an ever-wider range of participants this year. It will also make it easier for regular Japanese employees to join in, irrespective of job status or age. She happily recalled meeting two junior high school students who saved their allowances to attend last year’s conference.