Jul 19 (Japan Times) - The number of female researchers at private companies and other institutions in Japan reached the highest level ever last year, government data showed, although it remained low by international standards.
As of March 2016, the number stood at 138,420, up 2,214 from a year earlier and accounting for 15.3 percent of the total, according to the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry.
Females in natural science research at private firms showed a notable increase, the ministry said.
Still, the ratio of females to the total, up from 14.7 percent from the year before, compared with Russia's 40.3 percent, Britain's 37.4 percent, Italy's 36.0 percent and the United States' 34.3 percent, according to comparable data between 2013 and 2015 shown by the ministry.
