Training Regimes and Diversity: Experiences of Young Foreign Employees in Japanese Headquarters

This article investigates the capacity of Japanese companies to integrate non-Japanese employees into headquarters in Japan, following recent initiatives to recruit significant numbers of foreign fresh graduates from universities in and outside of Japan. Grounding the research in the literature on diversity in workplaces and through an interview study with young foreign employees and representatives from human resource departments, this article argues that the nature of Japanese training regimes, mismatches in expectations between employees and employers and a denial of authenticity inhibit the successful integration of young foreign employees. Based on the Japanese case, we question in general terms the complementarity between diversity and inclusion and different kinds of training regimes. The article also points to the possibility that companies use diversity initiatives instrumentally to develop their existing core labour forces with a view to stabilize rather than fundamentally change the status quo.