The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science holds a "Gender Equality Symposium" to provide meaningful information, such as good practices regarding gender equality initiatives in various fields, centered around research institutions such as universities.

For this fifth installment, titled "Walking with the Region, Walking from the Region: The Future of Regions Opened Up by Gender and Academia," we will focus on the "region." In Part 1, we will welcome Professor Hiromi Yokoyama from the University of Tokyo for a keynote speech on the background of the low number of women in science and engineering in Japan and measures to increase them. In Part 2, universities engaged in unique initiatives across the country—Iwate University, Nagaoka University of Technology, and Okayama University—will introduce their case studies. Furthermore, through the panel discussion in Part 3, we will explore the future of gender, academia, and the regions.

[Participants Wanted]
Please register from the URL below.
Also, if you know anyone else who might be interested, we would greatly appreciate it if you could share this information with them.

[Overview]
Title: JSPS Gender Equality Promotion Symposium: "Walking with the Region, Walking from the Region ~The Region's Future Opened by Gender and Academia~"
Date and Time: Wednesday, January 14, 2026, 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM [Japan Standard Time]
Format: Online event
Language: Japanese
Admission: Free
Application URL: https://cheers.jsps.go.jp/event-2/
(Please apply from the web page above. *First-come, first-served basis)

[Program]
Part 1: Keynote Speech 9:40-10:10 (including Q&A)
Title: "Reasons for the Low Number of Women in STEM and the Need for Policy Intervention"
Speaker: Hiromi Yokoyama, Professor, Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) / Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, The University of Tokyo

Part 2: Case Studies from Universities, etc. 10:10-11:10 (including Q&A)
Case 1: Iwate University
Speaker: Keiko Kaizuma, Iwate University Vice President (in charge of Diversity and Environmental Management) and Director of the Office for Diversity Promotion

Case 2: Nagaoka University of Technology
Speaker: Ryotaro Takaguchi, Lecturer and Assistant to the President (Gender Equality), Nagaoka University of Technology / Head of the Diversity Research Environment Promotion Division / Director of the Gender Equality Promotion Office

Case 3: Okayama University
Speaker: Yuri Nakamura, Technical Staff, Comprehensive Technical Department, Okayama University

Part 3: Panel Discussion 11:10-11:50 (including Q&A)
The Power of Diversity: Female Researchers Changing Regions
Moderator: Ginko Kono, Professor, Office for Promotion of Gender Equality, Kyushu University / Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Gender Equality Promotion Advisor
Panelist:
Hiromi Yokoyama, Professor, Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI-Kavli IPMU) & Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, The University of Tokyo
Michiko Umaduma Iwate University
Ryotaro Takaguchi, Nagaoka University of Technology
Yuri Nakamura Okayama University

[Information: FY2024 Gender Equality Promotion Symposium Archive Video]
FY2024 Gender Equality Promotion Symposium: Academia × Gender × Global
The archive video of "The Current State of Gender in Academia in Japan and the World" is now available on our YouTube channel.
Please check this out as well.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2KNlckjN7cUA79QEOqNPNKHkDoshHhwU&si=IlypngMCpLY8zHnW
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Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Planning and Evaluation Section, Corporate Planning and Public Relations Division
Nakai, Matsumoto, Nijo
Phone: 03-3263-1849
Email: gender@jsps.go.jp
Website:
https://www.jsps.go.jp/
https://cheers.jsps.go.jp/
Social media X: https://x.com/jsps_sns
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