This book sheds light on historical developments and the current gender equality situation in Japan, through the lens of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It shows how a policy of gender equality in science and engineering has been introduced through the coordinated efforts of academia, scientific societies and the government, and how this has led to a slow but steady increase in female representation. It draws on data including extensive interviews with government officials, scientists and educators in Japan to provide a revealing case study on how the underrepresentation of women in STEM has been approached and dealt with by a national government.