About speaker 150-200
Fourth Valley Concierge Corporation's founder and CEO, Yohei Shibasaki, is a graduate of Sophia
University, Japan. After graduating with a degree in Foreign Studies in 1998, he began his career
at Sony Corporation, where he spent his prime period of ten years. Working with global leading
companies including Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, Lenovo, and Panasonic helped him further
advance his career.
In 2007, Shibasaki noticed that while more students were studying overseas, only a small
percentage were really crossing borders to work, owing to the difficulty in acquiring a working
visa. He also noted Japan's rapid demographic loss and predicted that the country would experience
labor shortages in the near future.
Shibasaki quit his work and founded the 'Fourth Valley Concierge Corporation' with the goal of
supporting young brilliant persons in cross-border mobility. Shibasaki's corporate representatives
travel to emerging countries to hold job fairs and interview about 3000 graduates from prestigious
universities. It generates a database based on the interviews and introduces talented young talent
to clients' organizations. The company intends to expand its human resource efforts beyond
students to include experts in many fields.
He has also served on the Committee of the Foreign Workers’ Employment Policy Survey Project,
administered by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan. For his vision, effort and
influence to drive positive change in labor market, he was also awarded as a Young Global Leader
2013 by the World Economic Forum.
About Moderator 100-125
Dr. Tshering Lama is the Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Idea Studio Nepal. He earned a
Masters of Public Health and a Ph.D. in Telemedicine from Northumbria University, UK. In
addition to his academic achievements he received the first-ever Lord Glenamara International
Scholarship in appreciation of his efforts to improve public health through volunteerism. He was
also named Northumbria University's international student of the year in 2006 for establishing 20
scholarships in his name. Mr. Lama is the director of the Graduate Student Research Grant, which
annually supports 20 graduate students in Nepal for their final research project. Dr. Lama has also
served as the Country Director for Childreach Nepal, a local charity dedicated to improving
children's access to healthcare, education, and child rights in Nepal. In 2015, the World Economic
Forum named Dr. Lama as a young global leader. He is one of four Nepalese to be honored in this
way.
Q and A 300-400
A question-and-answer session was held at the final stage of the program. Students and teachers
asked questions on Japan's labor force and its issues. The round began with a question about Japan's
demographic trend. According to Mr. Shibasaki, Japan's labor market has been challenged by
population loss. Only 0.8 million infants were born in Japan last year.
Next question was about the composition of workers working in Japan in terms of their
nationalities. Answering the question, Shibasaki highlighted figures from five years ago, when
China, Korea, and other East Asian countries accounted for 90% of the Japanese labor market.
Now, the numbers of Vietnamese people working in Japan is significantly rising. Now, Chinese
are not willing to work in Japan as their economy is growing.
In response to questions concerning the issues faced by SMEs in Japan, Shibasaki stated that the
country has 3.5 million SMEs. The majority of them rely on foreign labour but their management
practices are still solely focused on the Japanese labors. Japan's companies require 500,000 IT
engineers, of which 1000 are projected to be employed from Nepal.
Stating the reasons for coming out to Japan, Shibasaki told that Japan may not be the best
alternatives for talents but Asian students are willing to come Japan as foreign students get more
facilities in education in Japan. Recruiters provides lots of opportunities in Japan and it never failed
to provide working visa to the students. In last 10 years, Japan drastically changed in terms of work
force diversity.
When asked about language barriers to being employed in a Japanese company, Shibasaki
responded that language barriers should not be seen as a hindrance, but rather as a requirement to
be eligible to apply for the post. Aside from some high-level technological jobs, working in Japan
requires knowledge of the Japanese language.
When asked about discriminatory behaviors between south Asian and other employees, Shibasaki
responded that Japan is one of the few countries that has never adopted discriminatory practices in
terms of wages, working conditions, and other benefits. He claimed, citing the example of an IIT
graduate, that Japan is one of the top destinations for South Asian talent.
Another topic of discussion was the leadership style adopted by Japanese businesses. According
to Shibasaki, the size of a company and its leadership have a significant impact on its leadership
style in Japan. If the CEO is the owner of a corporation, they will have a strong leadership style
and will make decisions on his or her own. In contrast, if the CEO is not the company's owner, he
or she is more likely to value teamwork and collective decision-making.