Press Releases

The Government of Japan will host the 2nd World Assembly for Women (WAW!2015) in Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa in Tokyo on August 28 and 29. (The first symposium was held last September in Tokyo.)

This symposium will be held as part of the effort to realize a society where women shine both in Japan and the world, which is one of the most important initiatives of the Government of Japan. About 100 active leaders in the field of women from Japan and the world are expected to participate.

The theme of this year’s symposium is “WAW! for All.” With this, we hope to encourage women and men of diverse background and generation to think and change the society together.

At the open forum on August 28, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will deliver an opening speech followed by a keynote speech by President Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and remarks by Executive Director of UN Women Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka among others. Also, panel discussions with leading figures such as Professor Linda Hill of Harvard Business School will be held along with other events.

At the High Level Round Table on August 29, issues widely covered both in Japan and the world including “Work-Life Balance Management” and “Women and Peace-Building” will be discussed in six sessions under the two main themes of “Women and Economy” and “Global Challenges.” In addition, six special sessions including “Youth Table,” “Implementing Diversity and Innovation,” “Improvement of Women’s Quality of Life and Restroom,” “Gender and Disaster Risk Reduction,” will provide a venue for discussion about the promotion of women’s participation in society from a broad perspective.

Furthermore, this year, many events will be held in collaboration with relevant organizations. Such events include sessions with the Asia Foundation and UNICEF Tokyo Office and a meeting among the members of Equal Futures Partnership, which is as a multilateral initiative regarding women’s empowerment.

From the viewpoint of providing information to the public and strengthening their sense of participation, we will open an official WAW! Channel on YouTube where we put messages of Prime Minister Abe and influencers, and opinions and ideas from the general public including local communities. Moreover, we will make “Women Will,” Google’s online site for cheering women, special for WAW!2015 for a limited period and will put views and ideas of the public about a society where women shine.