Japan needs a more flexible and diverse labor market as its population ages rapidly and starts to decline, experts told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
Employment practices that worked during the nation's dynamic postwar growth are no longer sustainable and are even hurting its competitiveness today, some of the participants said.
Japanese and German scholars, and business executives took part in the June 17 symposium jointly organized by the Keizai Koho Center, Japanese-German Center Berlin and Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Koln under the theme, "Global economic crisis and sociopolitical challenges." Andreas Moerke, representative director and president of Messe Dusseldorf Japan, served as moderator of discussions.