Release of the 'Survey on Female Managers'

SSP Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Yoko Motojima) is promoting the 'BeliEVE PROJECT' through its antipyretic analgesic brand 'EVE', aiming to create a future where women who live with goals can demonstrate their inherent power and continue to move forward.

Ahead of the announcement of the Gender Gap Index in June, we conducted a 'Survey on Female Managers' (targeting 500 women aged 20-49 nationwide) to clarify images of female managers and career aspirations. With the revised Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace taking effect in April 2026, corporate efforts to promote women's participation have been further strengthened. Furthermore, while the environment surrounding women's participation is changing significantly, such as the birth of the first female prime minister last year, there are still many challenges that act as barriers to career formation for many women, such as the 'absence of role models' and 'unconscious bias'.

The 'BeliEVE PROJECT' promotes the creation of an environment where women can believe in their potential and proactively choose their careers through the provision of the AI mentoring service 'BeliEVE Mentors' and a new index 'BeliEVE Career Index' that visualizes women's career awareness. We will continue to strengthen our efforts toward realizing a society where each individual can continue to take on positive challenges.

Survey Summary

Following the birth of a female prime minister, 48.6% responded that their 'image of management has become positive'.

On the other hand, while many current managers responded that it 'became positive', half of the non-managers responded that it 'has not changed'. There is a gap in awareness by position.

There is a difference in the image of management. While non-managers have many negative images such as 'busy' and 'difficult to balance work and private life', the management layer tends to feel positive fulfillment.

About 17% want to take on a management role. The desire for promotion decreases as age increases.

The most common good thing about being a manager was 'broadened perspective on work (32.4%)'. The younger they are, the more it tends to 'lead to confidence'.

What is important for both current managers and non-managers is 'welfare benefits' and 'the presence of a counselor/mentor'. In particular, about half of those in their 20s responded that they need someone to consult with. An environment where they can easily consult and the presence of a companion are key.

Survey Results

The birth of the first female prime minister made the image of management positive, but there is a big difference in opinion by position

When asked if their image of female managers had changed following the birth of the first female prime minister, 48.6% of all women responded 'became very positive (17.6%)' or 'became somewhat positive (31.0%)'. Looking by age group, there were particularly many responses from those in their 20s, with about 80% (76.1%) of the total responding 'became positive'. It is speculated that new examples and social messages are contributing to the improvement of the image of female managers.

On the other hand, looking by position, while 70% of the management layer feel a positive change with 'became very positive (28.0%)' and 'became somewhat positive (42.8%)', about 70% of the non-management layer responded 'has not changed (69.2%)'. While the birth of a female prime minister is an opportunity to encourage current managers, it is thought that many non-managers have not seen a change in image because they cannot personalize it or have a strong impression of managers close to them.

Image of management: Non-managers recall 'burden', managers recall 'fulfillment'. A gap depending on the standpoint is revealed

There were also differences by position regarding the specific image of management. In the survey, the non-management layer had many negative images such as 'busy and pressed for time (36.4%)' and 'difficult to balance work and private life (32.4%)'. On the other hand, the management layer had many responses such as 'can expect own fulfillment and growth (40.4%)' and 'feel fulfillment in developing members and people's growth (37.6%)', revealing that those who have actually experienced management feel the positive aspects. While there are many negative public images of management, it is suggested that the impression differs greatly depending on the presence or absence of experience.

Management aspiration remains at 17%, declining with age. Reasons are 'heavy responsibility' and 'anxiety about balancing'

While many non-managers have a negative image of management, those who want to take on a management role in the future also seem to remain limited. Women who responded 'want to take on a management role' remained at 17% of the total, and furthermore, there was a tendency for the desire for management to decrease as age increases, revealing the reality that they become more cautious as they build their careers.

The most common reason for this was 'opportunities to make judgments will increase and responsibility seems heavy (58.7%)', followed by 'anxiety about balancing work and life (43.7%)', indicating significant concerns about the load and responsibility associated with the role and life balance.

While many current managers view the image of management positively, one reason for such responses is thought to be a lack of accurate information about the reality of management and a lack of opportunities to easily consult with experienced people. If an appropriate support environment is established, the desire to take on challenges may change.

Feeling of growth such as 'broadened perspective' and 'increased evaluation'. Becoming a manager tends to 'lead to confidence' the younger they are

On the other hand, there were positive opinions from the management layer about taking on the position. When asked about the good things about being a manager, the most common opinion from those with management experience was 'broadened perspective on work (32.4%)', followed by 'increased trust and evaluation from surroundings (31.6%)'. In addition, in their 20s and 30s, a high percentage responded 'became able to have confidence in career (20s: 33.3%, 30s: 31.6%)', and there were cases where experiencing management at a young age led to their own growth and improvement of self-affirmation.

'Welfare benefits' and 'presence of a counselor/mentor' are key for both managers and non-managers. Especially those in their 20s emphasize an 'environment where they can consult'

Through the surveys so far, it has become clear that because there are many gaps in the image of management, it is necessary to have opportunities to disseminate the real voices of managers and expand the support environment in order to increase the ratio of managers.

Actually, we asked what kind of support other than wage subsidies would make them positive about taking on the challenge of management. The most common response was 'welfare benefits', followed by 'presence of a counselor/mentor', which was the same result for both the management and non-management layers. Looking by age group, those in their 20s in particular have a high need for 'presence of a counselor/mentor (49.3%)', highlighting the importance of an environment that supports decision-making in the early stages of a career.

Consultation content to AI mentors: Many similar worries in actual career consultations

Various consultation contents have been received from users of the AI mentoring service 'BeliEVE Mentors', which started provision in March 2026. As a result of analyzing the consultation data received in the first month since the start of provision, the most common consultation content was 'worries about work/career (35.9%)', followed by 'balancing childcare/life events (29.7%)', revealing that the walls faced by modern working women are largely concentrated in these two points.

Since the 'presence of a counselor/mentor' is also emphasized in the survey, we believe once again that an environment where they can easily consult and the presence of a companion are important for a society where modern women can freely design their careers.

'BeliEVE Mentors' can be used anonymously and for free on LINE, and users can easily consult with 6 AI mentors with different ages, values, and occupations at any time. Users can deepen their thinking at their own pace while receiving questions and proposals from AI mentors, and gain realizations and hints about their careers.

Overview of 'Survey on Female Managers'

- Survey implementation date: March 26 (Thu) - March 29 (Sun), 2026

- Survey method: Internet survey

- Survey target: 500 women aged 20-49

- Survey contractor: Neo Marketing Inc.

Overview of 'BeliEVE Mentors' usage data

- Analysis period: March 5 (Thu) - April 4 (Sat), 2026

- Total number of messages: 4,241

About 'BeliEVE Mentors'

'BeliEVE Mentors' is a new career support service where users can converse with 6 AI mentors with different ages, values, and occupations, generated through 'EVE's' unique large-scale survey and interviews with women satisfied with their careers. It can be used anonymously and for free on LINE, and users can freely choose multiple mentors according to their own worries and situations, and are guided to a 'career that suits them' through individual chat dialogues.

In the 'Survey on Career and AI Utilization' (*1) independently conducted by 'EVE', it was revealed that about 60% of all women have no one to consult with about their careers. The demand for career consultation with AI is increasing, especially among those in their 20s and 30s, and what they expect most is 'calm analysis based on data (38.4%)', followed by 'can talk with peace of mind (26.4%)', showing that they desire a partner relationship beyond mere information retrieval, and the presence of a more personalized AI mentor is required.

In addition, the 6 AI mentors incorporate lessons and learnings based on the real experiences of working women obtained through interviews. Character design and episode visualization are handled by popular manga artist Hirochi Maki, who has depicted the real feelings and conflicts of modern women. Utilizing the knowledge of depicting diverse female images in past works, the AI mentors are brought closer to the real image of modern career women.

*1 SSP 'Survey on Career and AI Utilization' (January 9 (Fri) - January 12 (Mon), 2026)

'BeliEVE Mentors' special site

https://www.ssp.co.jp/eve/BeliEVE/mentors/

About SSP Co., Ltd.

SSP is a pharmaceutical company specializing in OTC drugs (over-the-counter drugs) and healthcare products. Since its founding in 1765, it has been providing various products that meet health needs for 260 years. It operates in 100 countries worldwide and is responsible for the Japanese business of Opera, which has the world's third-largest business scale in the OTC drug and VMS (vitamins, minerals, supplements) market. SSP will continue to contribute to improving people's health and quality of life through the development of high-value-added pharmaceuticals such as 'switch OTC drugs' and the promotion of self-medication.

SSP Co., Ltd. Corporate Site

https://www.ssp.co.jp/

What is 'BeliEVE PROJECT'

'EVE' is promoting the 'BeliEVE PROJECT' to create a future where women who live with goals can demonstrate their inherent power and continue to move forward. In 2024, it launched the interactive x generative AI tool 'BeliEVE Your Voice AI' and analyzed the voices of about 3,400 women. Furthermore, in 2025, it provided the online mentoring service 'BeliEVE Mentoring Door', which delivers individual advice based on career support knowledge via email for women's career worries and uncertainties.

In addition, a survey (*2) conducted by SSP revealed that about 1 in 2 women who have been working for 5 years or more feel that they do not have a boss or senior who can be a role model in their future career formation. From this result, it became clear that the background to starting to feel the difficulty of career formation is the issue of the absence of role models.

In response to this issue, 'EVE' developed its own mentoring program 'BeliEVE Mentoring Program' under the supervision of Mentor For Inc., which has knowledge and a track record in mentoring, including the development of female managers. This program is deployed internally and externally, and is engaged in a wide range of activities, such as collaborating with Welcia Yakkyoku, which actually had issues with developing female managers.

And on March 5, 2026, to further support women's career formation from multiple angles, it started two new initiatives. One is the mentoring service 'BeliEVE Mentors' utilizing generative AI. As an 'AI mentor' where women can easily consult about career worries and hesitations at any time, it encourages choices that suit them. The other is the new index 'BeliEVE Career Index' that visualizes women's career satisfaction. Based on evaluation axes based on surveys, it measures the current status and issues of women's careers and shares them with society as a whole, making it an initiative that can be used as a guideline for companies and organizations to consider necessary support.

Through these activities, the 'BeliEVE PROJECT' continues to evolve as a platform that supports the power of each individual woman to believe in her potential and step into the future.

*2 SSP 'Questionnaire on Life' (January 10 (Wed) - January 11 (Thu), 2024)

'BeliEVE PROJECT' special site

https://www.ssp.co.jp/eve/BeliEVE/

MAT-JP-2602447-1.0-06/2026