TOKYO, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The National Personnel Authority (NPA) of Japan said on Tuesday that a record high percentage of women has passed this year's national civil servant exam to become central government career bureaucrats.
According to the NPA, a total of 1,798 applicants passed this year's national civil servant exam. Among them, 567 are women, accounting for a record high of 31.5 percent.
It added the gender ratio topped 30 percent for the first time and marked a record high for the fourth straight year.
The NPA attributed the increase in successful female applicants to measures such as organizing seminars for women.
Meanwhile, the ratio of successful applicants was 9.6 fold (10.9 fold in the previous year), the lowest in 12 years. The NPA said the main reason is that the number of applicants decreased by approximately 2,300 compared to the previous year and stood at 17,295.
The NPA analyzed that "the economy is booming, especially those who have completed postgraduates in science and technology have flowed to private companies."
Those who have qualified in the exam will be interviewed at government ministries and agencies from Wednesday, in order to secure positions and start work next April.
