Tottori’s career, which started nearly 40 years ago when she joined the airline as a flight attendant, culminated in January when she was selected as the first female president and chief executive of Japan Airlines (JAL).
Her ascent is uncommon in a country where women still encounter significant barriers to advancement.
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday at the airline’s Tokyo headquarters, she stated that Japan was still in the process of setting the initial aim to raise the number of female managers. “I hope that when a woman becomes president of Japan, people there won’t be shocked by it.”
“We aspire to significantly enhance the count of female managers; also, I believe it’s crucial that women themselves want to be active, so I really hope to see more and more of (them) in the future,” she added.
The 59-year-old Tottori started working for the national carrier in 1985. Thirty years after her first joining the company, she was elevated to senior director of cabin attendants in 2015.
Her history is very different from that of her forebears. It is very uncommon for a former flight attendant to advance to a leadership position. Seven of the ten previous presidents of JAL are alums of the esteemed University of Tokyo. On the other hand, Tottori attended the two-year Kwassui Women’s Junior College in Nagasaki, a part of a network of establishments that has been crucial to the advancement of women’s higher education.
