This series explores topics surrounding women who began their careers in Japan following the implementation of equal opportunities employment legislation in the mid-1980s. With many now reaching the age of retirement, it is hoped their stories can provide insight and lessons for women in Japan’s professional world today.
Lifetime employment, the traditional hallmark of the Japanese labor system, has long lost its luster. The once sacred social contract between employer and employee — lifelong loyalty to the organization compensated with unwavering job security — is frayed at best. Japanese workers are increasingly switching jobs, searching for better opportunities and better pay.
However, there are occasional counterexamples in which lifetime employment makes good sense.