News Japan's first female prosecutor-general appointed

[thomas]

Unemoto Naomi, currently leading the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office, will become Japan's first female top prosecutor on July 9. She will succeed Yukio Kai as prosecutor-general following a government decision on June 28. Unemoto, 61, from Chiba Prefecture, began her legal career in 1986 and became a prosecutor in 1988. She was the first female superintending prosecutor when she led the Hiroshima High Public Prosecutors Office in July 2021. In January 2023, she took charge of the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office, overseeing major investigations into political and bribery scandals.

Photo credit: Asahi Shinbun​

Unemoto was among the only four women appointed as prosecutors in 1988, along with 37 men. In fiscal 2023, 76 people were appointed prosecutors, and women accounted for 31, or about 40 per cent. As of March last year, 539 women worked as prosecutors or 27.2 per cent of the total. In the judicial fraternity, Reiko Fuchigami, a 69-year-old lawyer, became the first female president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations in April. Fuchigami served as the first female president of the Tokyo Bar Association for one year, starting in April 2017. The national federation, established in 1949, counts about 46,000 attorneys among its members.

Japan’s first female top prosecutor to take post July 9 | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis