Society Why Japanese millennials turn down promotions

Yuko Tamura is a cultural translator, editor-in-chief of Japonica, a frequent bilingual contributor to The Japan Times, and holds a master's degree in International Business Administration. She explains why Japanese millennials turn down promotions and flashy job titles.

In a 2023 survey, 77% of 1,116 Japanese office workers said they don't want to be managers. Another poll of 100 people in their 20s found that benefits and quality of life are the most important things they look for in a job — more so than the company's reputation or career advancement.

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The gist:

• In Japan, more responsibility doesn't mean more money.
• Advancement isn't always based on performance.

In almost every job I've had, I haven't aspired to have my boss's job. They have more money and responsibility but tend to do less interesting things and a lot more paperwork and "management." At the "peak" of my management career I had 18 people reporting to me which naturally meant a lot more management of people and direction setting. Now I'm an "Individual Contributor" which suits me a lot better. A lot more hands on and getting actual work done.