Soccer draws Vietnam workers with company-backed team in Japan

Sport's popularity expected to boost morale and retention amid labor shortage

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Lion Power President Keishiro Takase, left, once led the Shonan Bellmare soccer team in J-League.  (Photo by Yuta Maeda)

YUTA MAEDA, Nikkei staff writer

KANAZAWA, Japan -- Faced with a labor shortage in Japan, an electronic device maker is tapping into soccer's popularity in Vietnam as a way to recruit technical trainees who have increasingly been deserting their jobs.

Lion Power, based in the coastal city of Komatsu, looks to attract and retain foreign workers by offering spots on the company's soccer team.

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