Banzai!

It’s clear by looking at the demographics of Japan’s population that diversity initiatives aren’t just a "nice to have" for Japanese companies. They are a strategy for survival. Right now we in India can bask in the refuge of knowing that we have the largest number of youth, waiting to take up jobs. ( Whether they are employable is yet another story )
Twenty-two percent of the population in Japan is over the age of 65, according to the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Fact Book. At the same time, Japan’s birthrate is only eight births per 1,000 people. "Companies don’t have anyone to replace the workers who are retiring," says Jan Combopiano, vice president and chief knowledge officer at Catalyst, a New York-based nonprofit that focuses on workplace diversity issues. "What many of them are trying to do is make up for decades of not having women in the workforce.” Also, as Nissan has noticed, women in recent years have become a dominant force as consumers, Combopiano says.
While Japanese companies have gotten support from the government, which has declared gender equity as a goal for all employers in the country, the main challenges these firms face is changing the culture of their organizations, as well as addressing the Japanese culture of being very high on the Power Distance Index. Most Japanese men feel that a woman’s position is at home. Despite laws supporting gender equity, Japan still is a male-dominated culture. To address this, companies need to approach diversity initiatives as they would any type of change management program. Internal training needs to be part of these initiatives so that managers and employees throughout the organization understand why diversity is important and how it links to the company’s business results. And it’s not just the male managers who need the training, she says. Women employees often need help understanding their opportunities throughout the organization, since this is a new way of thinking for many of them, she says.
Unfortunately, to really get women employees understanding the potential for their careers at the company, firms need to have more female role models in top positions and this is really an issue after years of women facing the proverbial glass ceiling in terms of top managerial positions.
According to a 2007 white paper issued by the Japanese government, female managers make up only 10 percent of all managers at Japanese companies.The lack of role models means there are a lot of women who don’t see any possibility for them to be managers.
Japanese organizations are also facing the brunt of a generation of change, where, the younger generation, does not display the same sense of organization loyalty that their fathers did. Indeed job hopping is quite a common Japanese trait these days, compounding the issue. Japan has to choose between the devil & deep blue sea. Their untainted culture or business survival! As the situation worsens are we going to hear the battle cry- 'Banzai' from the Japs....................