Recent Activities for Gender Equality Promotion in theSocieties of Physics in Japan
H. Mori1,A,a), M. Sasao2,A, K. Nemoto3,B, E. Tamechika4,B and M. O. Watanabe5,B,b)
Univ. of Tokyo, bDoshisha Univ., c Natl. Inst. of Inf., d NTT Adv. Technol. Corp., eJapan Sci. & Technol. AgencyaA

The Physical Society of Japan, B The Japan Society of Applied Physicsa)

Corresponding author: hmori@issp.u-tokyo.ac.jpb)
miyoko.watanabe@jst.go.jp

Abstract .Gender equality is promoted both in The Physical Society of Japan (JPS) and The Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP). The
societies have encouraged cooperative relations at the Liaison Association Committee for Gender Equality in Physics of JPS and JSAP. Theiractivities are shown.

Recent activities of The Physical Society of Japan (JPS )The women member ratio in JPS increased graduallyfrom 2 % (in 1985) to 5.5 % (2011) and 5.7 (2013),
although total number of JPS are constant during these
7-8 years (Fig. 1). It is, however, far from 30 %, that is
the goal in 2020 in science and engineering fields inJapan. The recent activities of gender equality
promotion committee in JPS, founded in the same yearof IUPAP-WIP (Paris) in 2002, are introduced, asfollows:(1) Development of next generation ―Summer andFig.1. Number and % of total and women membersin JPS.
Spring SchoolsthThe 10 summer school for girl students in junior and highschools was held at national women’s education center (Saitama, Japan) on Aug.7-9 in 2014. This
two-nights-three-days school has been started since 2005 by Prof. Torikai et al., who has got the idea from thescience camp of Korean Physical Society for high school girls’ students. In 2013, JPS members supported thescience camp for the programs of the experiment “Let’s observe the ambient pressure”, the poster ”Wonder worldof atomic nuclei”, small experiment ”Magnetic levitation by superconductivity”, and international program “Chat inEnglish”, as well as the co-sponsored spring school.
(2) International Workshop
The 3rd Association of Asian Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS) workshop on “Women in Physics” in 12th Asia
Pacific Physics Conference (APPC12) in Makuhari, Japan on July 18, 2013, has been organized by the Liaison
Association Committee for Gender Equality in Physics of JPS and the Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP).
The main subject “affirmative action and networking” has been introduced and discussed by 55 participants
representing nine countries and territories. In JPS, Athena (Acceleration of Theoretical and Experimental
Researches of Networking for Carrier Advancement on Women in Physics) program has started to make networking
for women in Asia-Pacific area.
(3) Symposium in JPS annual meeting
In annual JPS meeting in March 2014, the symposium “Development of Next Generation on Physics” has beenorganized collaboratively with gender equality and physical education committees.
(4) Activity in Japan Inter-Society Liaison Association Committee for Promoting Equal Participation of Men &Women in Science and Engineering (EPMEWSE)In 2012, the 3rd questionnaire survey of around 16,000 members in EPMEWSE was carried out and the proposal
based upon the analysis of questionnaire was submitted from EPMEWSE to the Japanese government.

Recent activities of The Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP)
The change pf rate of women members in JSAP is shown in Fig. 2 (a). It has monotonously increased from 5% to
6% for 10 years since 2005, and the tendency is almost as same as that of JPS. Fig. 2 (b) shows the distribution ofwomen members in JSAP as a function of age. The data were acquired both in 2005 and 2014. The small dip isobserved in ages around 35 for the data taken in 2014. The ages correspond to those for childcare, implying weneed some political supporting action to release child- and/or day-care loads from women researchers to develop
their activity.
(1) Symposiums
In order to show activities of women researchers, we have organized new symposiums: the theme of one
symposium was solar cells, and the other was for photonics. These were composed of invited speaks and regulartalks. The speakers of the regular talks were all women researches, and the symposium was open for public. Thus,
we could demonstrate high activities of women researchers to not only inside JSAP but also outside JSAP.
Furthermore, the speakers played a role as good roll-models for young women scientists and engineers. This is akind of “visualization” measure, because the majority members of JSAP are men researchers as shown in Fig. 2 (a)and the women researcher’s activities are apt to embed in men’s activities at usual symposiums and meetings.
(2) Networking
The importance of networking has been confirmed in APPC12. Women in Physics (WIP) at APPC is good formaking an external networking in the Asia Pacific region, however, an internal networking is an issue of diversity
promotion in science and technology in JSAP. Thus we have started a special meeting called “Jyoshi-kai”, whichmeans a women’s meeting. It is a free discussion meeting in which women researchers are majority and they lead adiscussion. The aim of the meeting is to tighten and expand women’s networking and to make a plan in order topromote women researcher’s activities. Especially, it is important to encourage young women researchers who canbe leaders in the future.
(3) Other activities
We put following actions into practice as regular activities: award nomination for supporting female researchers;
career consulting for graduate students and post-doctoral; promoting science among junior/high school students;
providing nurseries during biannual JSAP conferences.

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(b)

Fig. 2. (a) Rate of women members in JSAP, and (b) distribution of women members as a function of age.