TOKYO: The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, said Monday it has made an informal decision to appoint Tomoko Namba, founder and executive chairman of gaming company DeNA Co. as one of its seven new vice chairs.

Namba, 58, will be the first female vice chair of the country’s largest business lobby.

Through the appointment of Namba, Keidanren apparently hopes to demonstrate its determination to accelerate women’s empowerment in the business world.

The six other incoming vice chairs include Toshiaki Higashihara, 66, president and CEO of major machinery maker Hitachi Ltd. 

The seven new vice chairs will take office after an annual Keidanren meeting on June 1.

“We need to take on the challenge of promoting diversity by making conscious efforts,” Keidanren Chairman Hiroaki Nakanishi said of the appointment of Namba, at an online press conference from the hospital where he has been staying for treatment of his illness.

Nakanishi reiterated his eagerness to complete his remaining term of over one year as Keidanren chief.

JIJI Press