The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, has announced plans to change graduate recruitment rules for the second year running. 

Business publication Nikkei Asian Review reports the federation plans to bring forward the date from which companies can begin recruiting senior students from August to June.

This year, it delayed the recruitment from April at the request of government, with a view to allow students more time to focus on study rather than job hunting.

The Japanese academic year begins in April.

According to the federation, its chairman Sadayuki Sakakibara said in a recent press conference there had been “various issues and problems” with this year’s graduate recruitment round.

It places “heavy burden” on the students and “it has created a situation in which students must exert themselves in job-searching activities during the summer vacation period, when they are already busy working on their thesis”, he said. 

Nikkei Asian Review says the federation will call on its 1.3k member companies to comply with the new guidelines despite there being no sanctions for violations.

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