{"id":2415,"date":"2025-12-29T10:36:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T15:36:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/?p=2415"},"modified":"2025-12-29T10:30:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T15:30:32","slug":"us-japanese-companies-local-hiring-strategy-part2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/2025\/12\/29\/us-japanese-companies-local-hiring-strategy-part2\/","title":{"rendered":"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 Turning Point in Hiring for Japanese Companies in the U.S. (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"627\" src=\"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pic1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2414\" style=\"width:650px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pic1.png 850w, https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pic1-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pic1-768x567.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by Jorge Alcala on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>\u2015 From \u201cHeadquarters-Driven\u201d to Locally Led Hiring \u2015<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/2025\/11\/24\/us-japanese-companies-hiring-shift-part1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Part 1<\/a>, we discussed how the decline and aging of the Japanese population in the United States\u2014accelerated by the Lehman Shock, the COVID-19 pandemic, and shifts in U.S. visa policies\u2014has made Japanese\u2013English bilingual talent increasingly scarce.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this second part, drawing from the July 2025 JETRO New York seminar by our CEO, Masato Fujihara, we explore <strong>how Japanese companies must transform their hiring strategies moving forward<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-vk-heading-solid_black\">\ud83c\udfe2 A New Era Where Hiring Speed Determines Everything<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Fujihara emphasized one fundamental challenge facing many Japanese companies in the U.S.: <strong>slow hiring decisions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In major cities like New York and Los Angeles, candidates are often lost because companies wait for approval from headquarters in Japan. In addition, the tendency for Japanese firms to \u201cmatch each other\u2019s pay scales\u201d puts them at a disadvantage in local hiring markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDecisions must be made based on local market standards, not headquarters\u2019 standards. In hiring, speed and flexibility are everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This mindset is the first step to staying competitive in the U.S. labor market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-vk-heading-solid_black\">\ud83c\udf0e Hiring \u201cSuccess Patterns\u201d Differ by Region<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Midwest, Southeast, and Texas, we see many Japanese companies adopting a faster, more locally driven hiring approach. Trends in these regions include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hiring proactively without fear of terminations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Using automation in manufacturing to offset labor shortages<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prioritizing potential over perfect bilingual ability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This \u201clocalized management style\u201d has become the norm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast, many companies in New York and Los Angeles still operate with Japan-style decision-making, leading to situations where <strong>candidates accept other offers while companies are still \u201cunder review.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s needed now is <strong>the flexibility to adapt hiring strategies to local culture and regional differences<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-vk-heading-solid_black\">\ud83d\udcac From Finding the \u201cPerfect Hire\u201d to \u201cHiring and Developing Talent\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Fujihara strongly emphasized shifting away from a perfection-based hiring mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you have five requirements, hire when the candidate meets the top three \u2014 and focus on how you will help them succeed in the role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usjetaa.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">JET Program alumni<\/a>, non-Japanese bilinguals, and Japanese learners may not have perfect Japanese ability, but many grow rapidly with the right training, motivation, and team support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Building a talent strategy that <strong>assumes post-hire development<\/strong> is becoming essential in the U.S. market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-vk-heading-solid_black\">\u2696\ufe0f Toward a Culture That \u201cDoes Not Fear Termination\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. operates under <strong>at-will employment<\/strong>, where termination\u2014when done properly\u2014is not viewed as inherently negative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEstablish clear termination policies, conduct regular performance evaluations, and ensure you have access to labor law experts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, <strong>companies that are not afraid to terminate are able to hire faster<\/strong>. To increase hiring speed, companies must first create a system where they can hire with confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-vk-heading-solid_black\">\ud83d\udca1 Rethinking the Talent Pool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Moving forward, companies must consider more flexible hiring, including the use of E-visas. With the Japanese population shrinking in the U.S., it\u2019s essential to expand the talent pool to include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Green card holders<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>U.S.-educated returnees<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mixed-heritage professionals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Japanese-language learners<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Candidates outside traditional Japanese communities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>At iiicareer, we redefine \u201cbilingual talent\u201d not as \u201csomeone who speaks Japanese,\u201d but as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cSomeone who understands Japanese corporate culture and can bridge global environments.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-vk-heading-solid_black\">\ud83d\ude80 The Future of Hiring Starts With the Local Team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Through our nationwide hiring support, we have consistently seen that <strong>companies that empower their local teams make stronger hires<\/strong>. Characteristics of successful companies include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Final hiring decisions made locally<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Salary offers based on real-time market data<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improved candidate experience (CX)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These companies consistently win the talent competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-vk-heading-solid_black\">\u2733\ufe0f Hiring Transformation Begins Now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What Japanese companies in the U.S. are facing is not simply a <strong>labor shortage<\/strong>. It is a deeper question: <strong>How will we evolve our hiring practices for a changing era?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Lehman Shock, the pandemic, visa restrictions, demographic shifts \u2014 none of these are \u201cevents of the past.\u201d They are signals urging us to redesign the future of hiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We must shift from:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Passive hiring \u2192 proactive hiring<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Defensive hiring \u2192 developmental hiring<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Hiring reflects a company\u2019s identity.<br>Speed of decision-making, cultural competence, and the willingness to believe in people\u2014companies that embody these three qualities will be the ones to build the next generation of bilingual talent in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At iiicareer, we will continue to support every individual working in the U.S. and every company engaged in hiring\u2014creating workplaces where <strong>connection and growth<\/strong> can thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For hiring or career inquiries, please reach out to your nearest <a href=\"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">iiicareer<\/a> office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Written by: iiicareer Editorial Team<br>Source: JETRO New York Seminar \u201cFuture Hiring Trends\u201d (July 2025), presented by Masato Fujihara, CEO<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2015 From \u201cHeadquarters-Driven\u201d to Locally Led Hiring \u2015 In Part 1, we discussed how the decline and aging of the Japanese population in the United States\u2014accelerated by the Lehman Shock, the COVID-19 pandemic, and shifts in U.S. visa policies\u2014has made Japanese\u2013English bilingual talent increasingly scarce. In this second part, drawing from the July 2025 JETRO [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1003,"featured_media":2414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"vkexunit_cta_each_option":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[151,164,104,296,90],"class_list":["post-2415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-related","tag-bilingual","tag-hiring","tag-japanese-companies","tag-staff-shortage","tag-us"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1003"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2415"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2423,"href":"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2415\/revisions\/2423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iiicareer.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}