Today’s Japanese business slang is “Mono-iu-Kabunushi”.

As mentioned in the previous lesson, no one made objection at Japanese stockholder meeting previously.  Therefore, they were called “Shan-shan Soukai”.

After bubble economy collapsed, in order to strengthen Japanese companies, holding stocks among group companies with each other was stopped.  As a result, foreign institutional investors became the shareholders of Japanese large firms.

They make objections and proposal to the board of directors in order to raise stock price in the short term.

Thus, foreign institutional investors are “Mono-iu-Kabunushi (Speaking sharesholders).”

Japanese companies are facing to global economy and can not survive without real competitive strengths.

Today’s business Japanese is “Shan-shan Soukai”.

Japanese large companies kept stock with each other within group companies (Keiretsu) and did not object against other company’s business.

Therefore, the shareholder meeting was called “Shan-shan soukai” and no body object against company’s decisions.

“Soukai” means “annual shareholder meeting” and “Shan-shan” is the sound of peace, meaning no objection.

However, foreign investors started to object to company’s decision and the situations began to change.

Today’s business Japanese is “BEA”.

“BEA” is the abbreviation of “Base Up”, meaning salary increase of all employees by fixed %.

“BEA” is decided based on the increase rates in prices by the negotiations between company and union.

“BEA” was 2-5% in high growth period and bubble economy period, but after 2000 many companies have rejected “BEA” because of the recession.

There is another salary increase besides “BEA”.  That is ”Regular salary increase” based on ages and years of service.

This year Japanese government requests Keidannrenn to increase salary by 5% because of big increase in prices.

Let’s pay attention to “Shuntou　（Annual wage talks)” in 2023.

Today’s business Japanese is “Sai-Koyou”.

In many Japanese companies employees normally retire at 60.

But, based on government requests Japanese companies re-hire them for 5 more years until they become 65 years old.

Of course, re-hired people do not have sub-ordinates, are not empoweree, and payment amount may become half.

But, they feel relieved because they get paid until they start to receive pension fund.

Now, Japanese government discusses and plans to ask Japanese companies to raise 65 to 70.

As long as they work they continue to pay pension fund and health incurance, which is worthwhile in order to maintain social security.

Thus, 100 years of life age is coming.

Today’s business slang is “Yakushoku-Teinen (Retirement from their position)”

Many business persons in Japan need to accept “Yakushoku-Teinen” from 52 to 58 if they are not directors.

They have to resign from their current positions such as Manager.

In addition, no team member will serve for him any longer.

They have to work alone as “Sub-manager” or “Assistant Manager”. Moreover, their salary are cut by about 30%.

Some accept “Yakushoku-Teinen” as no pressure, but others feels that their job became less worth and their motivation became much lower.

Today’s business Japanese is “Hi-seiki-koyou”.

*Hi-seiki-koyou” are contacted workers and part-time workers.  “Hi-seiki-roudou” were introduced 20-30 years ago and they have been fired once the business became bad and have been employed once the business became good.  And the same thing repeated until now. 

In addtion, the pay for them is lower than that of permanent workers although the job contents are the same.  Recently, the payments are  amended based on the idea, “Same Job, Same Pay”.

“Hi-seiki-roudou” may be necessary from the view point of Japanese economy and Japanese companies, but employment stability is essential for the individual workers.

Today’s Business Japanese is “Shuusha (Company hunting)”.

Many university students use the word, “Shuushoku Katsudou (Job hunting)”.  But, that is wrong.  Precisely speaking, “Shuusha” is the right word in Japan.  It means that we choose our own company, not the jobs.

Many Japanese companies use life-time employment and assign the departments to each employee depending on company’s human resorce strategy and tactics.  Employees have to do any job or work at any place regardless of their will.

Generally speaking, Japanese companies raise generalists rather than specialist through job rotation.

It is good for the companies.  But, employees can not develop their career plan based on their own will and it will be difficult for them to change their companies.  It leads to less liquid labor market and less powerful Japanese economy.

Do you want to work based on company’s will or on your own will?

Today’s business Japanese is “Quit Quitting”.

I often hear this word recently.

Although “Quitting” is used in this word, no one really quits their companies.

“Quit quitting” means recent young people’s way of doing their jobs such as not to do their job more than expected, not to do overtime job, and to do their jobs only within the job description.

Young people think that time, freedom, and family more important than money and climbing up the corporate ladder.  This idea is reflected on the “Quit quitting”.

30 years ago many people worked 100 hours overtime every month.

Now the way of working has changed a lot.

Today’s Japanese business slang is “Jyoushi-Gacha”.

It means that no body can choose his/her boss and it all depends on one’s luck.

“Gacha” is a sort of game we can find at game corner in the shopping mall in the past or in the airport for foreign travelers recently.

If we insert JPY100 coin into the machine and turn the dial, the machine gives you one toy.  But, we can not choose the toy.  The machine randomly give you one toy from the many toys in the box.  Therefore, we can not select favorite toy.  It all depends on one’s luck.   

In the same way we can not choose one’s boss.

Like this way, the young people say “Jyoushi-Gacha” because they can not choose their boss.

We also have “Haizoku (Assignment)-Gacha” and “Oya (parents)-Gacha”.

I think that we should think how we can meet boss’s expectations rather than evaluating our boss.

That is more productive.

What do you think?

Today’s Business slang is “One-Ope”

“One-Ope” is the abbreviation of “Operation by one person”, meaning operating a shop or store by one staff.

That is, one staff do all the related jobs such as customer service, payment, cooking, washing the dishes, and cleaning the shop.

No one will help even when some troubles happen, many customers come to the shop at the same time, and he/she get sick suddenly.

The other day at certain chain shop a “One-ope” staff suddenly died due to “Karoushi”(Overwork death) in Japan.

It is difficult to increase the retail price even though COG increased in Japan because of the severe competition in Japan.

Therefore, many shops and stores decrease the number of staff in order to cut their labor cost.

This is constructional problem and need to be solved.