Govt Not Necessarily Opposed to Abolition of Grad Hiring Rules: Suga

September 4, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tuesday that the government does not necessarily oppose the abolition of the Japan Business Federation's guidelines on member companies' hiring of university graduates.

At a press conference on Monday, Hiroaki Nakanishi, chairman of the biggest Japanese business lobby, known as Keidanren, said that it hopes to scrap the guidelines from the recruitment process for students to be employed in spring 2021.

Later in the day, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that he wants the rules to be firmly maintained. The remark was taken to suggest Abe's opposition to the scrapping of the recruitment guidelines.

Suga apparently corrected the remark by the prime minister. At a press conference on Tuesday, the top government spokesman also said, "It is crucial that related entities such as companies and universities hold discussions while thinking well about students," showing the government's stance of carefully watching the course of debates on the matter.

On Abe's remark in question, Suga explained that the prime minister did not intend to make suggestions on the hiring process for the 2021 cohort. Abe just meant he wants Keidanren to maintain the guidelines, which are scheduled to be kept in place at least until the spring 2020 hiring.

The guidelines allow companies to start explanatory sessions with prospective university graduates in March and job interviews in June.

Besides Suga, several ministers mentioned the matter at their press conferences on Tuesday.

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Ken Saito said, "I want people concerned to consider the issue by putting students first."

Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stressed the importance of thorough discussions with full consideration paid to students.

Nakanishi told reporters Tuesday that he will consider the issue carefully, noting that there are various opinions within Keidanren. Jiji Press