While the phrase "work-life balance" has gained some currency in Japan recently, there is still a long way to go before people here can find the right mix between careers and personal life, due in part to cultural stereotypes about gender roles, participants at an international symposium in Tokyo said last week.

The conference, titled "The Next Stage: Families that Work!" was organized by the Soft Landing Task Force of the American Chamber of Commerce Japan's Corporate Social Responsibility Committee.

The event, which featured a speech by Susan H. Roos, the wife of U.S. Ambassador John V. Roos, was hosted by The Japan Times and its parent company, Nifco Inc.