It is much harder for a woman to start up a business in Japan than a man. But despite many obstacles blocking the way, more Japanese women are devising schemes to gain financial independence.

"There are no real statistics on women who start their own business but interest is growing," said Atsuko Mayumi, president of Amaria, a consulting company for Japanese and American enterprises.

"An increasing number of women are self-employed," said Mayumi, who is also a part-time lecturer on female entrepreneurship at a university in Tokyo.

Thirty universities, certain professional schools and even large department stores run special courses on how women can set up their own enterprises.

But in Japan only 5.5 percent of industrial company directors are female, being promoted to the position through family inheritance or by working hard.

The figure is small compared with the United States where 38 percent of such firms are fronted by a woman, said Mayumi. The proportion of Japanese female presidents rises to 17 percent, or 350,000, according to figures for 1997, if small businesses such as clothes boutiques and restaurants are included.

Variety of reasons

Women are inspired to start their own business by a variety of reasons. But the biggest factor is Japan's decade-long economic slump which has led companies to sack thousands of female workers to cut losses.

Many men have also lost jobs, forcing their wives to seek part-time work to make ends meet. Women comprise 70 percent of Japan's part-time workers.

"The number of the people wanting to become entrepreneurs or start businesses is increasing," said an official from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

There were 220,000 such individuals in 1997, up from 67,000 in 1968, and the number is steadily increasing, according to ministry data.

"I think the changes in our lifestyle — such as the end of a 'jobs for life' system, a rise in divorces and an increase in the unemployment rate — could be one of the reasons for this," the official told AFP .

More and more women decide to go it alone because career prospects at established firms in Japan are limited and they receive much lower remuneration packages than men, with salaries some 66 percent of their male equivalents.

Japan's technological evolution, with a sharp rise in small office home office (SOHO) locations — rooms for rent in ultra-modern buildings — has made it easier for people to take the plunge on their own.

Plan to support women

Women are exploring job opportunities in all areas from interpreting and public relation services to environmental work and manufacturing. There is also a rise in the number of self-employed female taxi drivers.

In 1999 the government launched a programme to offer support to women and senior citizens wanting to embark on a self-employment scheme. Through the initiative people can apply for a low interest rate loan of between 0.9 percent and 1.4 percent for up to 720 million yen (six million dollars).

But the new legislation is severely flawed, said Mayumi.

"There is a lot of paper to submit, you need lots of time to fill it out and collateral or co-signers are required," she said.

"Women are asked if they have a husband who can guarantee them. It often takes one year to process the application and by the time you receive the loan it is too late you don't need it anymore."

The METI official admitted there was a need to revise the loan scheme.

"We have received opinions about the slowness and complexity of the procedure," he said.

"We have been working on a way to complete the application process in one to two days taking full advantage of the Internet. Hopefully, this will materialise this year."

Another problem for women is Japan's fiscal system, which exempts people who work less than 20 hours per week and earn under one million yen a year from paying tax.

"This system prevents women from working hard and becoming ambitious," according to Mayumi.

On top of that is the question of who will look after the children in a country where most men between the age of 30 and 45 spend much time — more than 60 hours a week — at work.

They are also seen the most uncooperative when it comes to household chores, allocating just four hours a week to helping out at home compared with American men who dedicate 16 hours of their time.

"There are not many day care centres for children," said Mayumi.

Need to build creches

"The number should increase. Some centres are opened only from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm," she said, adding there was a desperate need to build creches that operate for longer.

Japan's health and labour ministry is considering increasing the number of day care centres that are open around the clock, said the METI spokesman.

Despite the difficulties career-minded women face, Mayumi is optimistic about the future. "It may take 10 years but things are changing slowly."

The gradual ageing of Japan's population renders women all the more indispensable. "One day, women will be the driving force for the Japanese economy," said Mayumi.