Diversity and Inclusion in the Japanese Company as seen through the Recruitment of Foreign Fresh University Graduates

Abstract
Over recent years Singapore has seen the proliferation of recruitment fairs and events by Japanese companies. These events speak of systematic efforts by Japanese companies to recruit foreign fresh graduates directly into headquarters and operations in Japan, with many firms aiming for between 10 and 20 percent of such employees among their annual intake of new recruits. In my presentation I will discuss this development based on the growing discourse on employee diversity and inclusion. Here, I will first introduce into the basic concepts of diversity and inclusion that have mostly been developed from experiences of companies in the US. I will then contrast these concepts with findings from an interview study with companies and young foreign employees working in Japan. In my discussion I will develop propositions concerning the state of diversity in Japanese companies and how companies are dealing with this situation. I will especially look at how the inclusion concept that maintains that employees seek belonging as well as authenticity may help to interpret the current situation of young non-Japanese employees in companies in Japan. With this presentation I want to introduce into this new recruitment trend but I would also like to open the discussion about possible roles and responsibilities that educators of Japan and Japanese language have within this development.

About the Speaker
Hendrik Meyer-Ohle is Associate Professor in the Department of Japanese Studies at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He studied Business Administration and Japanese Studies at the Philipps University Marburg where he also obtained his PhD with a thesis on the development of modern formats in Japanese retailing. Before joining NUS in 2000 he worked for five years as a senior research fellow for the German Institute for Japanese Studies in Tokyo (DIJ). Other longer periods in Japan include yearlong sabbaticals at Ritsumeikan University in 2008 and Waseda University in 2016. At NUS A/P Meyer-Ohle teaches and researches on business and management in Japan with a focus on marketing/retailing and human resources. His publications include “Japanese Workplaces in Transition - Employee Perceptions” (Palgrave Macmillan 2009) and “Innovation and Dynamics in Japanese Retailing - From Techniques to Formats to Systems”, (Palgrave Macmillan 2003).