The ex-flight attendant who became the first female boss of Japan Airlines - BBC News

Mitsuko Tottori was named as the first female boss of Japan Airlines earlier this year.

15 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Mitsuko Tottori started her career as a flight attendantBy Mariko OiBusiness reporterWhen Mitsuko Tottori was named as the new boss of Japan Airlines (JAL) in January, it sent a shockwave across the country's corporate sector.

Not only was Ms Tottori the carrier's first female boss, she had also started her career as a member of cabin crew.

The headlines ranged from "first woman" and "first former flight attendant" to "unusual" and "no way!"

One website even described her as "an alien molecule" or "a mutant", a reference to her having worked at Japan Air System (JAS), a much smaller airline that JAL bought two decades ago.

"I didn't know about an alien mutant," Ms Tottori laughs as she spoke to me from Tokyo.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68823400

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