To survive the prolonged recession, a growing number of companies have adopted systems to encourage employees to attain professional or specialist qualifications, hoping the investment will motivate them and that the newfound expertise will help develop new products or business expansion.

Tomoko Kawada, 37, of Tamanoi Vinegar Co., a food maker in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, has benefitted from the so-called Future System. In 2009, after she had worked there 11 years, she took a year off to study at a vocational school and obtain a cooking license.

Now she is in charge of devising original recipes that use vinegar and publicizing them on the company's website.