20240424 Cover Japan labor market changes img main

New recruits at Japanese airline ANA gather for an entrance ceremony on April 1. Spurred by a shrinking population and social changes, young job hunters are becoming more selective than their parents could afford to be. (Photo by Sae Kamae)

Japanese companies navigate workplace revolution as job hunters get choosier

New generation of recruits value work-life balance and wages over lifetime employment and overtime

TOKYO -- For decades, Japanese manufacturer MinebeaMitsumi has worked in obscurity, churning out parts for the world's biggest smartphone brands and automakers, and grabbing top shares of the global markets for vital components for everything from computers and cars to home appliances.

Minebea neither takes credit for its work, nor seeks publicity, mainly due to business considerations including contracts that stipulate it not disclose the identity of its customers.

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