Japan's corporate boot camps enlist military discipline to drill soft skills

South China Morning Post

5 days ago

Japanese companies are once again sending fresh recruits to boot camps run by the military in a bid to instil teamwork, discipline and basic social skills that many believe were lost during the pandemic-era shift to online learning and remote work.
The 'enlistment experience' programmes, operated by
Japan 's Self-Defence Forces (SDF), simulate aspects of military life – from dawn roll-calls and mess hall etiquette to marching drills and group exercises – and are seeing a revival after plummeting during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Between 2015 and the start of the pandemic, the Ground – as the land warfare branch of Japan's military is – organised between 1,200 and 1,700 such sessions annually, according to the Ground Staff Office. That number fell to about 100 during the height of the health crisis, but has since rebounded to nearly 400 a year, the Asahi newspaper reported.
The Air and Maritime branches of Japan's military have also resumed their versions of the programme, though they do not track corporate participation.
New recruits practise squad drills during a Self-Defence Forces 'enlistment experience' session, where synchronised movement and following orders are key training elements. Photo: Japan Self-Defence Force
Companies that have embraced the scheme say the goal is not to militarise employees, but to address a widening soft-skills gap among young people who missed out on in-person socialisation during critical formative years.
Nissan Motor Kyushu, a car manufacturer based in Kanda, Fukuoka prefecture, has sent new employees to SDF training for the past two years.