Fast Retailing Co., the operator of Uniqlo casual wear chain stores, welcomed about 400 new recruits with an initiation ceremony at its Tokyo office Wednesday morning, holding the event about a month ahead of the April 1 date common for most major Japanese firms.

As a whole, a record high of about 1,000 new recruits, including some 30 foreign nationals, will join the domestic Fast Retailing group in fiscal 2016 starting in April.

"We have stores across the world, and many employees are working actively. Becoming one of them, I would like you to lead the company," Chairman and President Tadashi Yanai said in his welcoming speech at the ceremony.

The operator of Uniqlo has been accelerating the brand's overseas expansion, with the number of its shops abroad surpassing those at home in 2015.

After the ceremony, the new employees talked with executives and managerial staff to learn about the company's business profile and working procedures.

The current labor market situation is said to be a seller's market, with many companies showing a willingness to hire.

On Tuesday, the job-hunting season began for university students due to graduate next spring.