The Japanese ‘lifetime employment system’ and its implications for careers guidance

The lifetime employment system in Japan offers employees a high degree of job security. The characteristics, foundations, extent and effects of the system are examined, as are some present strains upon it. The system's implications for education and for careers guidance in Japan are then explored. The structure of guidance services in schools, in employment offices, in universities and colleges, and for adults, are described, and are related both to the lifetime employment system and to other features of Japanese society.