????經歷了二十年的經濟停滯之后，日本現在制定了一項計劃，旨在徹底改變自己未能對互聯網時代做出反應的驚人敗績。它的秘密武器是什么呢？女人。

????日本政府認為，日本女性（平均受教育程度超過日本男性）應該走在創建新的日本科技初創公司的最前列。日本政府計劃幫助日本女性創辦新公司，以此作為該國經濟振興措施的一部分，這些措施被稱為“日本復興”（Japan is Back）運動或者“安倍經濟學”（取自日本首相安倍晉三的名字）。

????作為這項計劃的一部分，日本政府已經向一個基金撥款200億日元（約合2億美元），目的在于向年輕的女性創業者提供資助。初創公司的創始人還可以向銀行申請特殊的低息貸款。

????日本首相安倍晉三計劃通過他稱之為“箭”的一系列行動來迅速啟動經濟增長，這些“箭”包括量化寬松措施、公共基礎設施建設開支，以及日元貶值。鼓勵女性抱有創業志向被認為是安倍晉三的第四支箭。

????“日本復興”運動領導人增田仁志（音譯）說：“女性是日本未充分挖掘的巨大財富，她們將成為建立以創業為基礎的日本更強經濟的一個驅動力。” 他此前曾在位于東京的日本政府初創公司和技術機構擔任主管。

????為了幫助那些希望工作、同時供養家庭的女性，安倍晉三正在提議給予女性三年產假，這與歐洲許多員工獲得的待遇相當。提議允許全職員工享有三年產假的新法案將在今年上報日本國會。

????增田說，決策層還需要展示創業的優勢，同時落實旨在降低準創業者風險的經濟獎勵措施。他們還需要增加日托資金。

????日本博客作者及政治評論人士托比亞斯?哈里斯表示，這些舉措絕對是必須的。他說：“應該讓更多的女性能夠參加工作，這意味著要在薪酬和地位方面實現男女平等，還能為家庭提供更好的支持。”

????日本在這方面面臨艱巨的任務。世界經濟論壇（WEF）最新發布的《2012年全球性別差距報告》（Global Gender Gap Report）中，日本在135個國家中排名第101。日本缺乏女性企業家，女性僅占日本企業家總人數的4％。事實上，總體而言日本明顯缺乏企業家。日本的人均企業家人數在工業化國家當中處于最低水平——日本只有1.9％；相比之下，美國是4.9％。

????日本女性的就業率為60％左右，相比之下，日本男性的就業率約為80％。在企業高管方面，女性比例的情況更糟，在日本經理總人數中僅占2.8％，與20年前的1％相比略有上升。

????After two decades of stagnation, Japan has developed a plan to reverse its spectacular failure to respond to the Internet age. Its secret weapon? Women.

????Tokyo thinks that Japan's women -- who are, on average, better educated than their male counterparts -- should lead the charge in building new Japanese tech startups. The Japanese government plans to help Japanese women launch new companies as part of the country's economic revitalization measures, known interchangeably as the "Japan is Back" campaign or Abenomics, named after Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

????As part of this program, Japan's government has allocated 20 billlion yen (around $200 million USD) for a fund to support young female entrepreneurs . Startup founders also can apply for special low-interest loans from banks.

????Prime Minister Abe aims to kickstart economic growth through a combination of what he has dubbed "arrows" of action, including quantitative easing, public infrastructure spending, and the devaluation of the yen. Encouraging women's business aspirations is considered Abe's fourth arrow.

????"Women are Japan's great underused asset," says Hitoshi Masuda, former director of the governmental startups and technology agency in Tokyo, who is leader in the "Japan is Back" campaign. "They will be a driving force in building a stronger economy based on entrepreneurship."

????To help women who want to work and raise a family, Abe is suggesting women have three years paternity leave, which is comparable to what many workers receive in Europe. New legislation will be presented to the Japanese parliament this year to allow full-time workers to take parental leave for three years.

????Policymakers also need to showcase the advantages of entrepreneurship and put in place financial incentives that reduce risk for would-be entrepreneurs, says Masuda. They will also need to increase day-care funding.

????Such moves are an absolute must, says Tobias Harris, a blogger and political commentator in Japan. "There should be an enabling of more women to participate in the workforce, which means equalizing pay and status and providing better support for families."

????Japan has its work cut out for itself. The nation ranks 101st out of 135 countries in the latest Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum (WEF). It has a dearth of women entrepreneurs -- only 4% of the nation's total. Indeed, it has a noticeable lack of entrepreneurs altogether. Overall, Japan has the lowest number of entrepreneurs per capita in the industrialized world -- just 1.9% in Japan, compared to 4.9% in the U.S.

????Japan's female employment rate stands at around 60%, compared to about 80% for men. In executive roles, women fare even worse, accounting for only 2.8% of all managers in the country, up from 1% 20 years ago.