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Self-help (jijo), Mutual help (kyojo), and Public help (kojo) from the White Paper on Health, Labour and Welfare 2025

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In August this year, the White Paper on Health, Labour and Welfare 2025 (Reiwa 7) was released. The White Paper consists of two parts: Part I focuses on a special theme for the year, while Part II provides detailed explanations of overall health, labour, and welfare policies. The title of Part I this year is “To the Youth Who Will Lead the Next Generation: Understanding the Role of Social Security and Labour Policies in a Changing Society.” It is written in plain language aimed at young people, explaining Japan’s social security and labour systems in an accessible way. One section that helped me organize my thoughts clearly was the discussion on self-help (jijo) , mutual help (kyojo) , and public help (kojo) . These terms are often used in various contexts, but “mutual help” has always been somewhat unclear to me. Self-help is easy to understand—it means taking care of oneself. Public help roughly means the government taking responsibility to assist people. But what exactly is m...
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Special Subsidiary Companies to Meet the Statutory Employment Rate for Persons with Disabilities

A career consultant I know, who is active within a company, was seconded to a different company this fiscal year and is now working on career support for people with disabilities. It seems to be a company established under the special subsidiary company system. This was the first time I had heard the term "special subsidiary company," but it seems to be a system where, in order to meet the statutory employment rate for persons with disabilities, a separate company is established within a corporate group, and the number of disabled persons employed by that separate company can be included in the calculation of the statutory employment rate for the entire group.   Companies want to employ people with disabilities, but there are issues with how to balance recruitment standards, working conditions, performance evaluations, and so on with those for able-bodied employees. Since it's difficult to maintain consistency within the same company, it seems that a separate company ...
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So Hot! Job Camp – High School Work Experience Program

Every summer, a program called Job Camp is held for students from 35 metropolitan high schools in Tokyo. It gives students the opportunity to experience real workplaces. < Job Camp > https://jobcamp.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/ In this program, high school students choose a company they are interested in and visit it to learn about work directly from professionals. Many career consultants participate in this initiative, supporting the students' learning. I recently took part myself, and it was truly refreshing. The program runs in three-day cycles. On the first day, career consultants visit high schools or orientation venues to conduct a pre-visit session with the students. This includes the very basics, such as how to greet people when visiting a company, how to bow properly, and other fundamental etiquette. Then we look at the company’s website and explore together what kind of business it is and what kind of work they do. Things get more serious from the second day onward. W...
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Thoughts on the Upper House Election Party Policy Survey on “Foreign Workers”

Last month, the Upper House election was held in Japan. I respected the candidates who are out in the scorching sun, passionately sharing their policies on the streets. I also admired the voters who stop and listen to them with genuine interest. Personally, I couldn't handle the heat and would rather avoid the risk of heatstroke, so I stayed in my cool room and watched the policy broadcasts or campaign speeches online. In the election, one of the major issues being frequently discussed was the “foreigners issue.” It was sudden—why had this theme became a central topic now? But it's not entirely incomprehensible. Back in the mid-2010s, the term “inbound demand” became common, and many foreign tourists started visiting Japan. Although this trend came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, after restrictions were lifted, the number of foreign visitors quickly surged again. With the yen weakening, Japan became a more affordable travel destination, and visitor numbers soon sur...
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Work by Lars Svendsen

In career consultant training courses, students study both career theories that emerged in the early 20th century and psychology, which originated in the 19th century and gave rise to various theories in the 20th century. These two fields have merged to form the academic foundation for providing theoretical support for each worker’s self-actualization and for finding meaning in their work. Usually, the role of a career consultant is understood based on these modern academic theories. However, Work by Lars Svendsen offers a fascinating perspective by tracing the concept of work all the way back to ancient Greece, showing how our ideas about work have evolved over time. Rather than going into too much detail here, I’ll summarize Chapter One of the book, which outlines the major transitions in the concept of labor. This chapter alone is already quite thought-provoking. * * * In ancient times , Greek philosophers regarded labor as something base or lowly. They believed that the goal o...
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The internship for Career Consultants

After obtaining the national certification as a career consultant and finally preparing to start your practice, many people face the challenge known as "the wall of inexperience." Even when browsing various job postings for career consultants, most of them favor those with experience, and there are few opportunities where newly certified consultants can thrive. If your company happens to have a career consultation office, you might still find opportunities to be active. But in many cases, people work in companies where the very concept of a "career consultant" is barely recognized. After earning the certification, many people feel that the first step is to gather information from various industry associations. This often leads them to join professional organizations such as ACCN or JDCA. Once you join such groups, you may fortunately be introduced to internship programs designed to help break through the wall of inexperience. These programs allow you to particip...
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Realizing the Existence of “Latent Job Information” in Career Consultant Renewal Training

Up until obtaining the national qualification as a Career Consultant, one can steadily move forward on the path thanks to the variety of information available—from training schools offering preparatory courses, publishers releasing exam prep books, and well-known YouTube channels sharing insights and advice. However, what many people face is what comes after getting the qualification. They wonder: Now that I’m certified… what should I do next? At this point, many are left feeling lost. For those already working in companies that have in-house Career Consultants, it's easier to transition into that role. But for those trying to find Career Consultant positions externally, jobs are scarce—and when they do exist, they often prioritize experienced professionals. For newly certified consultants, the opportunities are limited, and even when a role becomes available, competition is fierce. As a result, it's said that about 30% of certified Career Consultants end up working in co...
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