FAJ- Faciliter l'Ambition des femmes au Japon

What FAJ- Faciliter l'Ambition des femmes au Japon does

FAJ – Faciliter l'Ambition des femmes au Japon is a French-law 1901 nonprofit association founded in 2009 that supports French-speaking women in their professional lives in Japan. It is registered as a public-utility association with its statutory headquarters located at the French Embassy in Japan since October 2011 and a legal address in Paris; the operational base is in Tokyo, where it runs in-person events at venues such as Toranomon Hills Business Tower and CITRON Aoyama. The association is led by a volunteer board (President Valérie Moschetti, Vice-President Laurence Vermont) with approximately 11 employees and around 180 members as of 2025, spanning entrepreneurs, salaried professionals, students, Working Holiday participants, career-changers, and job seekers.

The core "products" are community programs rather than software: an annual membership subscription (¥6,000 regular, ¥3,000 student) plus a portfolio of activities including monthly afterworks, café meetings, professional workshops, a structured mentorship program, the Club Entreprise (entrepreneur support), conferences, and cultural-linguistic exchanges. The supporting technology is a conventional WordPress-based website with event ticketing, membership management, email newsletter integration, and social media presence (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) — no proprietary platform, app, or AI component is indicated. The association runs more than 50 member events annually and documents over 100 historical articles and event recaps.

FAJ's revenue mechanics combine individual membership fees, event participation fees, Club Entreprise program fees, and grants/donations from institutional partners enabled by its public-utility status. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: prospective members are acquired through events, partner referrals, and organic social media, with events functioning as both programming and conversion funnels. Strategic alliances with FEW Japan, FemmExpat, the French-Japanese Business Summit, the French Embassy, and various member-founded ventures anchor its position within the French-Japanese professional ecosystem.

Name

FAJ- Faciliter l'Ambition des femmes au Japon

Legal name

Femmes Actives Japon (FAJ)

Website

https://fajapon.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FAJ is a French-law 1901 nonprofit founded in 2009 that supports French-speaking professional women in Japan through a Tokyo-based community of approximately 180 members, offering networking events, workshops, mentorship, and an entrepreneur club.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Fees: Annual membership subscription at ¥6000 per year (September 1 to August 31) with automatic renewal. Student membership available at ¥3000 per year. This is the primary recurring revenue stream.
2. Event Participation: Revenue generated from paid events and workshops. Most events are free for members, but some specialized workshops or programs may have participation fees.
3. Club Entreprise Program Fees: Revenue from specialized entrepreneurship programming including the Club Entreprise sessions that provide business development support, workshops on financing, pricing, and business operations in Japan.
4. Grants and Donations: As a loi 1901 association recognized as being of public utility, FAJ may receive grants and donations from institutional partners, French government bodies, and corporate sponsors to support its mission of promoting active professional women in Japan.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

FAJ is a French-law 1901 nonprofit association that connects and supports French-speaking women in their professional lives in Japan through a membership-based program. Its core offerings include an annual membership (¥6,000 standard, ¥3,000 student), regular networking events (afterworks and café meetings), professional development workshops, a structured mentorship program, an entrepreneur support club (Club Entreprise), and cultural-linguistic exchange sessions.

Product overview

FAJ (Faciliter l'Ambition des femmes au Japon) is a professional networking association for francophone women in Japan, founded in 2009. The organization operates as a membership-based association offering a portfolio of services including networking events (afterworks, cafés), professional development workshops, a mentorship program, an entrepreneur club, conferences, and cultural-linguistic exchanges. With approximately 180 members, the association focuses on supporting women in their professional lives in Japan through community building, skill development, and career advancement opportunities. Membership fees are ¥6000 annually (¥3000 for students), with some events requiring separate registration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program Annual membership (¥6,000) and student membership (¥3,000) providing access to all association activities, networking events, workshops, and the mentorship program. Membership runs from September 1 to August 31 with automatic renewal.
• Networking Events Regular afterwork and café meetings for francophone women in Tokyo to share professional experiences and build connections. Held at venues such as Toranomon Hills Business Tower and CITRON Aoyama.
• Professional Development Workshops Professional development workshops covering topics such as work contracts in Japan, imposter syndrome, sleep health, eye yoga, and intercultural identity. Designed for francophone women professionals seeking skill development and career advancement.
• Mentorship Program Structured mentorship program matching experienced professionals with women seeking career guidance in Japan. Operates with seasonal cohorts connecting mentors and mentees.
• Club Entreprise (Entrepreneur Club) Support program for women entrepreneurs in Japan, offering workshops, pitch nights, and business development sessions covering financing, pricing, and business operations in Japan.
• Cultural-Linguistic Exchanges Language exchange sessions helping francophone members practice Japanese while helping Japanese speakers practice French.

Quantifiable outcome

• 180 members served through membership programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FEW Japan (Forum for Women Japan)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAJ collaborates with FEW Japan on events related to International Women's Day and shared objectives of supporting women's professional and personal empowerment. FEW Japan is an English-language network serving similar goals in the international community in Japan. The partnership involves joint events and cross-promotion to reach both French-speaking and English-speaking professional women.
• FemmExpatminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFAJ was featured in FemmExpat's network, which supports hundreds of women and families through the expatriation journey. Interview published about FAJ's evolution and activities serving French-speaking women professionals in Japan.
• French-Japanese Business SummitminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFAJ partners with the French-Japanese Business Summit to offer member invitations to the annual summit, providing networking opportunities with business leaders and professionals.
• Tokyo Therapy & Wellness CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional partnership with Tokyo Therapy & Wellness Center, created by French osteopaths Julien Servelle and Sébastien Bailet-Kojima, for wellness service referrals and professional collaboration among therapist members.
• Hanawa OrigamiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAJ member Audrey Frénois founded Hanawa Origami after joining FAJ's Club Entreprise program. Her story represents the entrepreneurial support FAJ provides to members.
• Ippo IppominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAJ member Céline Merveilleux du Vignaux was selected as speaker by Ippo Ippo to conduct Faber and Mazlish workshops on parent-child communication in Tokyo.
• OLES (Organization for Language Education Support)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAJ member Céline Merveilleux du Vignaux provides expertise to OLES to assist French people in distress in Japan through psychological support services.
• Ambassador of France in JapancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAJ's official seat is located at the French Embassy in Japan since October 11, 2011, as per the association statutes. The embassy provides institutional support and connects FAJ with French governmental resources.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• FemmExpat: FemmExpat is a directly comparable expat women's community supporting women and families through international relocation, with content and partnerships that intersect FAJ's audience of French-speaking women adjusting to professional life in Japan.
• FEW Japan (Forum for Women in Japan): FEW Japan is a direct peer — an English-language professional and personal empowerment network for international women in Japan, offering events, mentoring, and community programming that materially overlaps with FAJ's French-language offering. FAJ already partners with FEW Japan, underscoring direct comparability.

Regional players

• Alliance Française Tokyo: Alliance Française is a global French language and cultural network with an active Tokyo chapter. It serves a comparable French-speaking audience in Japan and offers events, classes, and networking that partially overlap with FAJ's scope.
• French-Japanese Business Summit: An annual Franco-Japanese business conference series that provides FAJ members access to senior business leaders. It is comparable as a Franco-Japan institutional connector and an existing FAJ partner, but is event-based rather than year-round community programming.
• Maison Française / Institut français du Japon: Institutional French cultural and educational centers in Japan that serve French-speaking audiences with events and programming. Comparable as Franco-Japan community anchors but with a cultural rather than professional-development mandate.

Broad incumbents

• CCI France Japon (French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan): CCI France Japon is a broader, established institutional player serving the French business community in Japan. While its mandate is corporate rather than women's-specific, it competes for the same Franco-Japanese corporate sponsorship, embassy ties, and member attention as FAJ.
• InterNations Japan: InterNations is a large, established expat networking platform with active Tokyo groups serving the same general expatriate audience as FAJ. It competes for membership time and event attention, though it is broader and not women- or French-specific.
• European Business Council in Japan (EBC): EBC is a larger, established pan-European business advocacy body in Japan. Its corporate membership and policy programming overlap with the upper-tier audience FAJ serves, and its former COO is now FAJ's President, indicating close institutional lineage.

Emerging players

• Women in Technology Japan (WIT Japan): WIT Japan supports women in tech careers in Japan through events and mentoring. It overlaps with FAJ in mentoring, professional development workshops, and women-focused programming, but focuses specifically on the technology vertical rather than French-language identity.
• Girl Geek Academy Japan: A women-in-tech community with chapters globally including Japan. Comparable to FAJ in its women-focused mentoring and networking model, but centered on the technology sector rather than French-speaking expatriate women.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FemmesActivesJapon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fajapon
• Instagraminstagram.com/fajapon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FAJ- Faciliter l'Ambition des femmes au Japon