Photo/Illutration A transport ministry working group draws up plans to raise the number of female aircraft pilots and mechanics during a meeting Feb. 19 in Tokyo. (Yoko Masuda)

Women who are under 158 centimeters tall will now get a fighting chance to train at the national pilot training institute under policy changes announced by the transport ministry.

A special admission quota to the Civil Aviation College, primarily based on interview results, will also be implemented.

The changes announced Feb. 21 were developed by a working group on the empowerment of female aircraft operators and mechanics. Comprised of experts and aviation industry insiders, the task force was formed last October.

Of the 7,270 pilots at major airlines in Japan, only 142 are women, accounting for just 1.9 percent of the total.

As this figure compares dismally with the 6.1 percent for the Asia-Oceania region and the global average of 4.7 percent, the ministry is looking to raise the female ratio to 10 percent within 10 years.

“The modest percentage of female aviators across the industry can largely be attributed to the low rate of women at the Civil Aviation College,” the working group noted in reference to the fact that the school produces 40 percent of all pilots in Japan.

Of the 108 students who joined the college last year, only six were women. The working group took special note of the school’s 158-cm height limit as a reason.

Not only must applicants be at least 158 cm tall, they also have to pass tough tests in the advanced Mathematics III category, high-school-level physics and other science subjects.

The committee concluded that the enrollment requirements discourage women from studying at the Civil Aviation College, as private universities with pilot educational courses and airlines do not impose such prerequisites.

As a result, the ministry decided it will eliminate the height limit for applicants under 158 cm, provided they can reach aircraft control devices, starting with the admission process for fiscal 2026.

Course study subjects also came up for review. Plans call for an interview-focused test alongside a quota system or a specialized allocation for women, much like some science and engineering colleges.

Apart from this, extending the time limit for aspiring aviation mechanics to take the practical examination for national certification--from the current two years to five years--is on the agenda, too.

The objective is to enable female mechanics to work unhindered, given there are times when some women fail to take the practical exam within the conventional deadline due to maternity or childcare leave.

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