Toyoda is pushing measures to close the gender gap in the nation 's workforce . Prime Minister Naoko Toyoda : ` ` Women are Japan 's most underutilized resource Despite equal employment opportunities enshrined into law in 1986 , real equality within most domestic Japanese companies remains within the realm of fantasy-land . Japanese women face strong cultural pressure to leave the workforce after having a child . Analyst : Workforce parity `` could lift the asset level of Western GDP by 30 % ''
Toyoda is pushing measures to close the gender gap in the nation 's workforce . Prime Minister Naoko Toyoda : ` ` Women are Japan 's most underutilized resource Japanese women face strong cultural pressure to leave the workforce after having a child . Analyst : Workforce parity `` could lift the asset level of Western GDP by 30 % ''