In celebration of International Women's Day 2019, I wanted to shine a spotlight on the ama, a title that has been ascribed to the famous female pearl divers of Japan.

Only 2,000 ama are left across Japan, down from more than 12,000 in the 1930s, according to records kept by a marine museum in Toba. The profession still exists in South Korea, where the divers ...

In keeping with their centuries-old practice, the ama still dive without any scuba gear or air tanks. Many divers say it is hard work that doesn't offer much pay, and their numbers continue to ...

Nearly 170 local divers—the industry is predominately female—have protested and signed a petition against the underaged character's overtly sexual appearance. Three versions of Aoshima Megu ...

The 69-year-old is among only 500 “ama” divers in Japan's rural Mie Prefecture, down from more than 4,000 such professionals in the 1970s. Across Japan, only about 2,000 ama divers are left.

Resistance to the mascot started to stir up this August when more than 100 ama divers demanded that the mascot be revoked. “Ama in our city are all risking their lives to dive. In the past ...