A Short in the Arm: Japan Airlines Appoints Former Cabin Crew as First Female President

Tokyo, JAPAN (January 19, 2024) – Japan Airlines said on Wednesday that former cabin attendant Mitsuko Tottori will be elevated to president on April 1st, marking the first time a woman will be in the company’s top role.

Tottori, who was formerly a cabin attendant, not only became the first president but also a senior managing executive officer and representative director.

Yoshiharu Ueki is retiring, and Yuji Akasaka, the current president, will assume the position of chairman with representative responsibility. Under the guidance of the late Kyocera founder and chairman, emeritus Kazuo Inamori, Ueki handled the company’s rehabilitation when Japan Airlines filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

As senior vice president for cabin attendants, Tottori helped with the company’s cabin attendants’ secondment to municipalities and other enterprises in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, a difficult time for the airline industry. The measure was designed to maintain employee motivation and assist them in avoiding job loss.

Since taking over as customer experience manager in April 2023, Tottori has improved Japan Airlines’ standing. In June of that year, she was named as the company’s representative director, making her the second woman to hold that role.

At a press conference, Tottori stated, “There are female employees out there who are struggling with their career steps or going through big life events.” “I hope my appointment as a president can encourage them, or give them the courage to take the next step.”

Since joining the company in 2020, Tottori’s work with corporate safety and security and her position as a cabin attendant has greatly enhanced her observational and practical skills in safe flight operations and service. She has demonstrated outstanding leadership as senior vice president of the cabin attendants division, in the challenging management climate brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Her ability to strike a balance between employee motivation and human resource development has allowed her to significantly contribute to maintaining safe operations.

In her capacity as senior vice president of the customer experience division, she started assisting in 2023 to preserve and improve the caliber of services we provide to our customers, significantly enhancing their happiness.

The JAL Group stated in a statement that it will work together to guarantee the greatest standard of safety in all flight operations, keep raising the caliber of its goods and services, increase its corporate value, and support the expansion and advancement of society.