Looking critically at the hard skills behind successful leadership in the political arena, with a particular focus on human security and preventive diplomacy, Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Japan, Akiko Yamanaka shares her perspectives on the impact that 23 top female leaders have had on the global stage based on her own personal interactions.
In order to achieve a peaceful and stable international society that promotes the well-being of all, it is essential that qualified women participate actively as leaders at both the national and international levels. By examining human security as a fundamental concept underpinning international leadership and analysing preventive diplomacy as a practical approach - not only engaged with issues directly related to conflict and war but also broader factors such as natural disasters and pandemics - Reaching for Balance discusses the importance of creating a society in which both women and men have the ability to make choices.

• Beate Sirota Gordon
• Margaret Thatcher
• Angela Merkel
• Marisol Espinoza
• Wangari Maathai
• Leticia Ramos-Shahani
• Shirley Williams
• Anna Lindh
• Emma Nicholson
• Gro Harlem Brundtland
• Dianne Feinstein
• Nancy Pelosi
• Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
• Hillary Rodham Clinton
• Susi Pudjiastuti
• Michelle Bachelet
• Park Geun-hye
• Sheikha Moza bint Nasser of Qatar
• Queen Rania of Jordan
• Queen Mary of Denmark
• Mayumi Moriyama
• Sadako Ogata
• HIH Princess Takamado