Leadership 111

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About Us

About Us

In 1994, women representing various fields formed a network to work toward achieving a better society while helping each other, learning from each other, and exchanging information.We are a proactive group with a commitment to sounding alarms to society, to sending out messages, and to taking actions voluntarily
not only in Japan but also internationally. Our group name is Leadership 111. Because the group was founded in the Year of the Dog, the cheerful name is associated with “Wan Wan Wan (A dog barking in Japanese sounds like ‘One’)” to courageously start discussions in society.

Founding Members
  • Merle Aiko Okawara (President, JC Foods)
  • Masako Oshima (Director, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)
  • Ryo Ochiai (General Manager, Sony Corporation)
  • Yoriko Kawaguchi (Senior Director, Suntory Limited)
  • Sharmin Koda (Journalist)
  • Yoriko Meguro (Professor, Sophia University)
  • Mitsuko Shimomura (Senior Staff Writer, Asahi Shimbun)
  • Taeko Nagai (Senior Commentator, NHK)
  • Mariko Bando (Director, Office for Gender Equality, Prime Minister’s Office)
  • Tomiko Yonezawa (Professor, Keio University)
  • Naoe Wakita (President, Dentsu EYE)

*Position at the time

Organization and Activities

Activities aim to enhance mutual exchanges, promote international exchanges, and improve the leadership skills of women who are active leaders in various circles.

Organization and Activities

List of Past Representatives
1998 Mitsuko Shimomura(Journalist)
1999-2000 Aiko Okawara(President, JC Foods Co., Ltd.)
2001 Taeko Nagai(Director, Tokyo Setagaya Ward Culture Life Information Center)
2002 Yoko Ohara(President, IFI Business School)
2003 Ginko Sato(Chairman, Japan Association for the Advancement of Working Women.Former Ambassador of Japan to Kenya)
2004 Naoe Wakita(Chairman, Dentsu EYE)
2005 Yasuko Kondo(Consumer Communication Department Manager, Suntory Limited)
2006-2007 Mariko Bando(Vice President, Showa Women’s University)
2008 Tsumie Yamaguchi(Director, Executive Officer, Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd.)
2009 Reiko Kanise(President, K Associates Co., Ltd.)

*Position at the time