Amid the nation's continuing economic slump, a group of tense-looking new employees of the major supermarket chain Ito-Yokado Co. attended the company's entrance ceremony at a Tokyo hotel Friday.
The number of recruits dropped to 726 for nine group companies this year, down from 1,313 for 12 companies last year, in line with the decreasing number of newly opening stores.
Toshifumi Suzuki, president of the company, emphasized that only those who can cope with social changes will be able to survive in the distribution industry, which is said to be suffering from a structural recession.
"Sales do not go up due to deflation, and consumption is arrested out of consumers' fears over the current state of employment and pensions," Suzuki said at the ceremony. "Japan's economy is in an unprecedented condition."