Japan’s trade balance last year marked its first surplus in six years, according to the recently released Global Trade and Investment Report 2017 by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). At the same time, the country’s outward FDI stood at record highs, while inward FDI from Asia to Japan continued to grow. Global trade declines 3.1%, downturn for two straight […]
“We have difficulties in finding the right people,” or “there are not enough suitable candidates available in Japan” are only two sentences I am hearing too often. Domestic hiring is without a doubt a question of supply and demand, and method. But there are other factors, too. Before tackling the topic, let me throw in some general information and statistics. […]
Many people in Japan call life-time employment, seniority-based employment and company unions the Three Sacred Treasures of Japanese-style management. But in reality, these treasures have increasingly become things of the past. Companies now adopt various patterns to employ people in Japan. Statistics of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) show that while the share of limited-term employees was […]
