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lifetime employment, employment for life
A Japanese employment practice in which companies hire employees straight out of school and retain them until retirement. One of the three pillars of traditional Japanese corporate culture, along with seniority-based pay and enterprise unions.
Cultural note
Lifetime employment (終身雇用) was a defining feature of Japan's postwar corporate culture, particularly at large companies. Together with 年功序列 (seniority-based pay) and 企業別組合 (enterprise unions), it formed the "three sacred treasures" of Japanese management. Since the 1990s recession, this practice has been gradually declining as companies shift toward more flexible employment.