Japan Struggles to Boost Share of Female Airline Pilots

Tokyo, Feb. 26 (Jiji Press)--Japan is working to increase the number of female pilots in an effort to address the aging of commercial airline pilots and growing air travel demand, but progress has been slow.

While the Japanese government aims to raise the share of female pilots from only 2 pct as of 2024 to 10 pct by the end of 2035, achieving that goal remains a challenge.

According to the transport ministry, the age distribution of pilots is skewed toward those in their 50s and older, and the number of retirees is expected to increase sharply from around 2030.

In 2025, the ministry formulated measures to increase the number of female applicants to the Civil Aviation College, the country's only public pilot training institution, which produces about 40 pct of commercial airline pilots.

In response, the college, based in the southwestern prefecture of Miyazaki, removed the admission requirement that applicants be at least 158 centimeters tall from the entrance examination for fiscal 2026. From fiscal 2027, the college will drop several science subjects from its entrance exam.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]