There is a big push to get women in leadership but progress is slow, specially at executive levels. If you are at working level (below senior manager), your hours will be very reasonable and you will still be well compensated for them. But the Japanese culture is at start contrast to the culture that would make this a friendly place for women executives. There are talks of flex work arrangements but as of now it varies drastically by manager. The culture is quite hierarchical and stiff as you go up. That said, there are several great managers around who create good cultures within their teams.

Set expectations at the get go - if family is your priority say it and stick with it. It may mean you are slow for promotion but for the most part people will respect that.

I worked in Monozukuri/manufacturing for over 10 years. At multiple locations. The people made it worth it, not the management. Women usually make up a very small faction in Automotive, but women make up less than 10% of engineering/operations. If you are in the boys club and play the games with them you can make a acceptable standard of living/pay. The culture is made up of blanket policies, keeping your head down and avoiding responsibility and rewarding poor performance with generic appraisals . While there was an increase of women in leadership from 2008-2014, there has been a significant loss of diverse talent recently. If you are OK with just working a job, not loving your job, you would like Nissan.