10 years look back on leadership in Women in Law Japan

Three women at my table said something that stayed with me. This week at the Women In Law Japan (WILJ) 10-Year Anniversary Gala, I had the pleasure of hosting a table of remarkable women from across the legal community in Tokyo. During our conversations, and the buzz of the messages after, three of them shared:

🗣 "My younger self would NEVER have imagined one day sitting at a table chatting with women leaders in law.

I felt exactly the same. Because if you had told me 10 years ago that one day I would be inviting such a remarkable group of women to join my table, and up on stage reflecting on the 10-year leadership journey of Women In Law Japan (WILJ), I would have found that hard to imagine too.

And yet here we are.

Moments like this are built over time through a community that lifts each other up, through mentorship, encouragement, and creating space for women to step forward. That is exactly what Women In Law Japan (WILJ) has been doing for the past decade.

💜It was an honour to co-host the 10-year look back with Rika Beppu and reflect on the journey of this inspiring organisation and the many people who helped shape it.

❤️A huge thank you to the evening’s keynote and panelists — Kathy Matsui Dr. Andrijana Cvetkovikj and Sarah Liu whose insights reminded us why this community matters.

💚And heartfelt appreciation to the current #WILJ #leadership #team and #volunteers, whose immense dedication and 100’s of collective hours of effort, brought this milestone celebration together so beautifully. You did us proud! 🥳

💙Thank you as well to the team at Tokyo American Club chefs & staff, the generous prize donors, and the DJs who kept the celebration going.

The room sparkled in hues of purple, red, gold and more, a perfect reflection of the energy, generosity, and spirit of this community.

🌟Here’s to the next chapter of 10 years of Women In Law Japan (WILJ) and to the many women whose younger selves may not yet know the remarkable tables they will one day sit at.💫

My glorious table guests: Jayne Nakata Mari Ono, MBA Yoshie Midorikawa Lexi Takamatsu Akemi Suzuki Graham Ayako Shotoku Keiko Ohara Maya Ito Yoko Oshima … who have all been amazing guests on, and top supporters of Lawyer on Air Podcast | Japan's Top Legal Careers Podcast

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📸 Photo credits:

🤩My guest table - the fabulous WILJ male ally Alexander Dmitrenko - thank you for capturing our sparkle.

🤩Those who shared many other photos with me - Hojung Jun (전호정) Jayne Nakata Mari Ono, MBA Keiko Ohara Dr. Andrijana Cvetkovikj Reiko Shima