How to Fail: Eliminating DEI in Japan

Amidst all the buzz of American organizations like Meta , 亚马逊 & 麦当劳 removing or heavily rolling back their Diversity Equity & Inclusion programs, some concern rippled internationally. HR professionals asked; "Would that tsunami reach the shores of Japan?!" However, in short time with deeper thought and logic applied, those concerns are receding.

In the last few weeks I've had the opportunity to speak with dozens of HR leaders here in Japan. Though normally poker-faced, all of them instantly scoffed at the notion of taking any stance that would diminish their efforts to support DEI along with the massive successes those programs have brought to their organizations in recent years. This includes the local Japan-based HR leaders within some of those American companies that dropped their programs.

Will these rollbacks ripple to Japan for some of those companies? Highly likely, but good luck with that... (want to share your thoughts? vote or comment here)

Where is this confidence coming from? In short, companies in Japan simply do not have the luxury, more so the people, to do anything that would reduce their already dwindling workforce or potential talent pools.

DEI in Japan has been almost exclusively focused on women and working mothers in the workforce from about 2000 to 2020 with introductions to Pride and LGBTQIA+ from 2012, but not really gaining traction until about 2020. Recently conversations have begun for neurodiversity and now reaching to working fathers and the deeper societal issues that prevent equity here. It has been a slow and winding road to get this far, but we got here because all of it is critical for Japan's future.

If we eliminate the emotional reactions from the left and the right and look at the issue as neutrally as possible, the need for DEI programs to fuel changes to infrastructure that maintain a high quality of life and build a sustainable future become apparent.

This article released by 中央大学 last November titled Releasing the "Labor Market Future Forecasts 2035" clearly defines the reality of the diminishing population by stating;

Japan will have a projected labor shortage of 17.75 million hours daily (equivalent to 3.84 million people) in 2035. This figure is equivalent to 3.84 million workers and the situation will be exacerbated 1.85 times than in 2023.

The needs in Japan go far beyond Employer Branding and basic Employer Value Proposition (EVP). As I had pointed out in another article last year, DEI for Japan is not a benefit or extra perk to be included in compensation metrics since it is an inherent necessity. The value of DEI programs lies more within the workplace reforms that build awareness and allow working parents to share duties, be more efficient or productive, maintain mothers in the workforce, and allows families (our workforce) to grow. It's that straightforward and simple. Rolling back DEI chips away at infrastructure that is mission critical for Japan to maintain or improve our quality of life.

So how might this play out?

Some people believe that DEI has fallen away from it's original purpose and it has reduced standards, for example in this article titled D.E.I. Will Not Be Missed written by Bret Stephens in the 纽约时报 , states;

All this raises the question of what a military is for. There’s no doubt the military has served to advance important moral and social values, never more so than in President Harry Truman’s 1948 order to desegregate the military or President Barack Obama’s 2010 decision to eliminate “don’t ask, don’t tell.” But those demands for equality did not require the Pentagon to lower standards or compromise lethality. The difference with D.E.I. is that, almost inevitably, it does. It asks the military to become a social justice organization that happens to fight wars. In other walks of life, adulterated standards can lead to mediocrity — bad teaching in classrooms, bad medical care. In combat, it can mean death.

Yes, the military is an extreme example, but Stephens makes a valid point regardless where you land in the polarity of this argument. That said, it's not relevant in Japan. The standards here are more simplified - people or no people.

I'll finish with this last point. It's important to mention that many of the same companies that are dialing back or removing DEI programs from their organizations are the very same ones that have elevated or made the reforms in Japan possible in the first place. For example, if we looked at the talent pools of people on LinkedIn in Japan, we'd see the vast majority of the people with DEI program experience, have worked or are working in those companies. The companies such as 亚马逊 and 麦当劳 have helped to build a massive level of awareness that has driven much needed social/workplace reformations here. If DEI programs in Japan are terminated, that will free up those highly talented Program Managers to join Japanese organizations and DEI in Japan might change it's title or have some standard reformations, but it's operation will not be going away in totality. Not in Japan. Not any time soon. In fact, I believe it will adapt, evolve, and spread further.