Under pressure, Canon and Toray to add women to boardrooms

TOKYO -- Facing pressure from both investors and the government, top Japanese companies Canon and Toray Industries plan to appoint women to their board of directors for the first time, in a step toward gender equality.

Canon is preparing to appoint its first woman director next year. Out of the 40 executive officers working at the company, only two are women -- one overseeing sustainability initiatives and the other a research and development executive. Its board of directors has no women.