Diversity Management in Some Japanese Companies – A New Way to Strengthen Japanese Enterpises’ Competitiveness

Main Article Content

Thuy Linh Tong
Thi Thuy Cao

Abstract

The article analyses the situation of enhancing diversity in human resources in some Japanese enterprises implementing diversity management. In 2012, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry officially launched Diversity Management Selection 100-Collection of Best Practices. In particular, Diversity Management is a strategy for enterprises to utilize their human resources required for building competitive advantages in a market environment or a technology structure. This research finds that the concept of diversity in human resources of Japanese enterprises is quite diverse but mainly revolves around four main aspects: gender (female labor), age (senior labor), disability (people with disabilities), nationality (foreign labor). Secondly, in terms of diversification of employees, the Japanese enterprises focus on following priority order: female workers, disabled workers, elderly workers, and foreign workers. This is reflected in the number of programs promoting each type of worker as well as the number of businesses committed to creating favorable conditions for workers in Japan. Thirdly, increasing diversity in human resources not only changes corporate culture but also enhances corporate image domestically and globally. Therefore, diversity management is a new way to strengthen Japanese enterprises' competitiveness.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Tong, T. L., & Cao, T. T. (2022). Diversity Management in Some Japanese Companies – A New Way to Strengthen Japanese Enterpises’ Competitiveness. WILAYAH: The International Journal of East Asian Studies, 11(1), 3–22. Retrieved from https://vmis.um.edu.my/index.php/IJEAS/article/view/34430
Section
Articles
Author Biography

Thi Thuy Cao, Centre for Analysis and Forecasting, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Name: Thi Thuy Cao

Position: Researcher

Address: Centre for Analysis and Forecasting, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Email: caothuy2007@gmail.com

References

Daikin, “Workplace Diversity”, https://www.daikin.com/csr/employee/diversity.html.

Daikin, “Daikin Group CSR Report 2012”, 28.

Daikin, “Daikin Group CSR Report 2013”, 28.

Daikin, “Daikin Group Sustainability Report 2021”, https://www.daikin.com/csr/report/2021/daikin_csr2021_Eng_all.pdf, 30.

Dawn, “Japan's seniors work on into retirement”, 15 November 2012, http://www.dawn.com/news/764225/japans-seniors-work-on-into-retirement.

Dhara Ranasinghe, “Can Japan’s Elderly Become Its Growth Engine?”, CNBC, 24 October 2012, http://www.cnbc.com/id/49472404

“Employment quota for persons with disabilities at private enterprises to be incrementally raised to 2.3%”, Japan Labor Issues, vol.2, no.6, April-May 2018, https://www.jil.go.jp/english/jli/documents/2018/006-01.pdf, 5.

Fortune, “Global 500”, https://fortune.com/global500/2020/search/?fg500_country=Japan, accessed 15 November 2021.

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. “Womenomics: Japan’s hidden asset Japan portfolio strategy”, 19 October 2005, https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/investing-in-women/bios-pdfs/womenomics-pdf.pdf, 14, accessed 15 May 2015.

Georgina Varley, “Women in tech by country”, Women of Silicon Roundabout, 21 November 2018, https://www.women-in-technology.com/wintec-blog/women-in-tech-by-country

Hayato Yasuzaw, “Reviewing the Cultural, Economic and Legal State of Diversity & Inclusion in Japan”, Boyd&Moore Executive Search, 2 April 2021, https://www.bmes.com/reviewing-cultural-economic-and-legal-state-of-diversity-inclusion-japan-1/

Hitachi, “Promoting Diversity and Inclusion”, https://www.hitachi.com/sustainability/labor/diversity/index.html

Hitachi High-Tech Global, “Diversity management”, https://www.hitachi-hightech.com/global/about/csr/social/labor_practices/diversity_management/

Hitachi, “Hitachi Group Sustainability Report 2012”, https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/22311789/hitachi-group-sustainability-report-2012-pdf-format-780mbytes, 23, 97-98, 100.

Hitachi, “Hitachi Sustainability Report 2021”, https://www.hitachi.com/sustainability/download/pdf/en_sustainability2021.pdf, 150

Hitachi, Ltd, “Diversity & Inlusion Strategy”, 20 April 2021, 2.

ILO, “Women in business and management: Gaining momentum in Asia and the Pacific”, 3 July 2015, 7.

ILO, “Japan Promotion of the Employment of Persons with Disabilities Law”, 25 July 1960, https://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/natlex4.detail?p_lang=en&p_isn=27786

Japan Data, “Fighting Population Decline, Japan Aims to Stay at 100 Million”, Nippon.com, 26 August 2014, https://www.nippon.com/cn/features/h00057/

Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “Announcement of Nadeshiko Brand as Examples of Enterprises that Encourage Women’s Success”, March 2015, https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2015/0318_02.html

Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “ METI to Hold the FY2013 Symposium for the Commendation Ceremony of Diversity Management Selection 100 and the Announcement of the Nadeshiko Brand”, 3 March 2014, https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2014/0207_01.html

Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “Looking at companies through the Empowerment of women”, 2013, https://www.jpx.co.jp/files/tse/english/news/31/b7gje6000001ir0g-att/report.pdf, 1.

Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “About the Indices to gauge Japanese companies on their level of internationalizing human resources (Internationalization Indices)”, April 2009, 2.

Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “Why dose “diversity” make companies stronger?”, METI Journal, 2014, 2.

Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “Diversity Management Selection 100 and Nadeshiko Brand”, METI Journal, Special Report June/July 2013, 1.

Kao, “Kao Kirei Lifestyle Plan Progress Report 2020”, https://www.kao.com/content/dam/sites/kao/www-kao-com/global/en/sustainability/pdf/klp-pr-2020-e-29.pdf, 1, 165-167,169, 171,173.

Kao, “Kao is Selected for Inclusion in the 2022 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index”, 27 January 2022, https://www.kao.com/global/en/news/sustainability/2022/20220127-001/

Magdalena Osumi, “Learning what life in Japan is like for people with disabilities”, The Japan Times, 15 October 2018, https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/10/15/national/social-issues/learning-life-japan-like-people-disabilities/

Nissan Official Global Newsroom, “Nissan is Awarded First Prize in the 2013 J-

Win Diversity Awards”, 14 March 2013, https://global.nissannews.com/en/releases/130315-02-e?source=nng&lang=en-US

Rafael Lalive, Jean-Philippe Wüllrich, Josef Zweimüller, “Do financial incentives for firms promote employment of disabled workers? A regression discontinuity approach”, CEPR Discussion Paper, no.7373, (2009), https://www.researchgate.net/publication/46435441_Do_Financial_Incentives_for_Firms_Promote_Employment_of_Disabled_Workers_A_Regression_Discontinuity_Approach

Ryosuke Matsui, “Employment measures for persons with disabilities in Japan”, Hurights Osaka, FOCUS December 2008, Volume 54, https://www.hurights.or.jp/archives/focus/section2/2008/12/employment-measures-for-persons-with-disabilities-in-japan.html

Sharp, “Diversity Management”, http://global.sharp/corporate/eco/social/diversity/

Sharp, “Sharp Sustainability Report 2012”, as of 1 April 2012, 86-87.

Statista, “Population of Japan from 2000 to 2019, by gender”, 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/612246/japan-population-breakdown-total-gender/

Tadashi Kudo, “Japan’s employment rate of persons with disabilities and outcome of employment quota system”, 2010, https://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2010/JLR26_kudo.pdf, 15.

Takehiko Kambayashi, “In Japan, better with age”, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 September 2012, http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2012/0902/In-Japan-better-with-age.

Toshiba, “Promotion of Diversity and Inclusion”,

https://www.toshiba.co.jp/sustainability/en/performance/social/diversity.htm

Toshiba, “Toshiba Group CSR Report 2011”, 27.

The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (JILPT), “Chapter 1 The Current Status and the Challenges of the Employment of Elderly People”, Labor Situation in Japan and Its Analysis: Detailed Exposition 2012/2013, The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training, https://www.jil.go.jp/english/lsj/detailed/2012-2013/chapter1.pdf, 1, 3.

The World Bank, “Fertility rate, total (births per woman)-Japan”, available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN?locations=JP&most_recent_year_desc=false, accessed on 27 November 2021.

The Valuable 500, “Hitachi Group: Region – Global, Japan”, https://www.thevaluable500.com/member/hitachi-group, accessed 15 January 2022.

UNHCR, “World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Japan”, April 2018, https://www.refworld.org/docid/4954ce5c23.html

Yoshio Sugimoto, An Introduction to Japaneses Society, (Cambridge University Press, 2014), 196, https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/an-introduction-to-japanese-society/japaneseness-ethnicity-and-minority-groups/E7F50F2705BA0B07D21ED888E305DE8C