Women in power still few in number: white paper

Japanese women's participation in the decision-making process is still far lower than that of women in other developed nations, according to a white paper released by the government Friday.

"The Present Status of Gender Equality and Measures" report, compiled by the Prime Minister's Office, says only 9.3 percent of working women in Japan held managerial positions in 1997. In the U.S., however, 44.3 percent of working women were managers, 30.6 percent in Norway and 26.6 percent in Germany.

The report, based on data from the government, the United Nations and the International Labor Organization, says Japan's Gender Empowerment Measure, a yardstick of women's participation in society, showed the least improvement from 1995 to 1998 compared with that of nine selected countries -- Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, South Korea, Sweden and the U.S.