With the gender gap still large among financial analysts in Japan, women who have blazed a trail in the male-dominated profession are calling for changes in the industry's punishing workstyle as well as an end to what they see as society's deep-rooted bias.
"I think Japanese firms (in general) must work to increase the number of women, and the financial industry especially lags" behind other sectors, said Rie Nishihara, a senior analyst at JPMorgan Securities Japan Co.
Among some 27,000 people who hold the Certified Member Analyst designation of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan, only 7.9% were women as of late January, according to the association.