Keidanren (the Japan Business Federation) is moving to again shift the schedule of job-hunting for university students — to move the date for next year back by two months. In addition to increasing hiring competition and causing more chaos, making the date earlier will interrupt students' academic studies all the more.
As changing jobs becomes more common amid less stable employment conditions, interrupting studies means that many students will have missed out on acquiring skills and knowledge they might need in the future. Most students in their fourth year are so busy looking for a job that they stop attending classes or studying anything other than prospective company information.
Traditionally the job-hunting season began on April 1. In 2013, however, the government requested that the date be pushed back so it would have less of an impact on students' studies. In addition, students and companies also complained about the April 1 start date, saying that it didn't give big corporations enough time to make their first choices and squeezed small and midsize companies into an even narrower time frame.