Abstract: This paper shows that Japan was able to maintain relatively low levels of unemployment, even during periods of economic recession, due mainly to a combination of factors, such as its enduring cooperative relations between labor and industries, and strong legal support of job security. It is often claimed that certain employment practices in Japan constitute an indirect social policy that accomplishes welfare objectives that are more often achieved through explicit public sector mechanisms in other countries. This paper examines several Japanese employment practices with a view to understanding their origins and evolution, the role of government policy in shaping them, and their distinctiveness in comparison with other industrial countries. Attention is given to four such practices: (a) flexible employment conditions; (b) lifetime employment; (c) egalitarian in-house training; and (d) the use of female temporary workers.
Publication Year: 2002
Publication Date: 2002-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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