The State of Japan HR 2026
Sixteen pages on what 3,789 listed Japanese companies disclose about their people, and what it means. For readers who want the story, not the spreadsheet.
Who it is for
Executives and HR leaders briefing headquarters or a board on Japan, and anyone who needs to quote the market accurately without building the analysis themselves.
What people use it for
- Know the real benchmark.The median listed company reports 9.1% women in management, pays women 74.8% of what it pays men among regular staff, and reports 82.2% of fathers taking childcare leave. The report shows how far each figure moves with industry and size, and which comparisons mislead.
- Read the pay gap correctly.Companies report the pay ratio three ways, and the all-employee figure is the one most often misread. The report explains which one to quote, and why a high share of women managers can sit beside a wide pay gap.
- Brief a foreign headquarters.A chapter compares 354 foreign-owned subsidiaries with Japanese employers of the same industry and size: where they lead, where they trail, and why the useful peer group depends on the question.
- Prepare for the 2026 rules.What the April 2026 amendment changes, who has to publish, and what the newly covered employers are likely to show.
What is inside
- Eleven findings on two pages, for readers with five minutes.
- Nine chapters: the listed workforce; women in management; women's pay as a share of men's; fathers on childcare leave; three years of disclosure; what the filings get wrong; foreign subsidiaries against Japanese employers; pay for HR roles; what changes from April 2026.
- Charts and tables by industry and company size, and a methodology page.
- A PDF you can quote in board papers and internal documents, with credit.
Already a subscriber? The report is included with Professional, Company and Enterprise, under Downloads in the dashboard. The report is analysis, not data: for the figures behind it, company by company, see Professional.
$149 one-off
Pay by card through Polar, which handles tax and the receipt; the PDF comes with it. Japanese companies can pay in yen through Stripe and receive a qualified invoice (適格請求書, registration T7020001128427): ¥22,000, plus 10% consumption tax. Bank transfer on request: editor@hardestmarket.com.
Buy the reportQuestions
- Who wrote it?
- Yan Sen Lu, Managing Director of Makana Partners, an executive search firm in Tokyo, and author of The Hardest Market in the World. The analysis uses every listed company's annual securities report and MHLW's women's-advancement database.
- Can I share it?
- Within your organisation, yes. Figures may be quoted with credit to "The State of Japan HR 2026, The Hardest Market". Please do not post the PDF publicly.
- How do I get it after paying?
- Through Polar, the PDF comes with your receipt and stays in your Polar customer portal. Paying in yen, you are taken straight to the download, and the receipt email carries a key that opens it again at any time.