[What is needed now to develop female leaders]

The percentage of women in managerial positions in Japan in 2022 was 12.7%, the lowest among the G7 countries and far below international levels. Furthermore, although the percentage of female faculty members at national university medical departments in Japan increased to 19.2% in 2023, the percentage of female professors was only 6.9%, reminding us of the "glass ceiling" barrier still existing today. The working environment for women has improved compared to the period around the year 2000 when I was finishing my internships. In those days, it was not easy for female doctors to find a faculty staff position. Remembering my own experience, I am trying to find the best way for we female hematologists to go through major life events and still be able to continue our careers thereafter. Continuation of our careers as hematologists will, in the long run, mean contributing back to all staff and to the faculty itself. I believe that this reform in consciousness towards equal opportunity regardless of gender is another vital key to increasing the number of female leaders in our field.