More publicly traded companies in Japan are actively appointing women as outside directors, prompted by the country's stricter corporate governance code and pressure from investors, reports Jiji Press. The increasing appointment of female outside directors came after the Tokyo Stock Exchange's corporate governance code, updated in June last year, requires listed companies to present their targets in relation to the appointment of women. JPMorgan Asset Management (Japan) Ltd. has said it would oppose a slate of board candidates in principle when a woman is not included. While companies are making their boards more diverse, Yutaka Suzuki, chief researcher at Daiwa Institute of Research Ltd., said they should choose the right people for the task regardless of their gender, instead of simply making up the number.