Southwest Japan’s Challenges: Revitalization Efforts / Getting Latent Human Resources Back into Workforce: Homemakers, Seniors Have Strong Inclination to Work

By Sho Nakanishi and Ken Nakao / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

21:00 JST, December 29, 2025

This is the 2nd installment of a series of articles examining measures to solve worsening labor shortages and build a vibrant society in Kyushu, as well as Yamaguchi and Okinawa prefectures.

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“Please bear in mind that when you hand out your business card, you ought to introduce yourself first and have a brief conversation,” urged a female anchorperson who served as the seminar instructor at an exchange center in Yamaguchi in early September.

The participants were women who had left their jobs to care for children or for other reasons and now wish to rejoin the workforce. At, a Yamaguchi-based Specified Nonprofit Corporation that organized the event, has held such seminars several times since 2019, connecting job-seekers with companies.

Naomi Ida, a 33-year-old homemaker from Yamaguchi, who was cheerfully practicing exchanging business cards, explained her reason for joining the seminar, “I now have more time on my hands in regard to childcare, and I want to be connected with society again.”

After graduating from Yamaguchi University, she worked at a model house exhibition in Yamaguchi Prefecture. However, unable to find a day care center available on weekends, she had no other choice but to quit the job in 2019 after her maternity leave ended.

“While raising a child, opportunities to talk with anyone outside of family and friends drastically decreased. While I was struggling with whether to apply to the seminar or not, I also worried about whether I could do the job well.” A hint of anxiety appears behind her smile.

Chikako Fujii, a 50-year-old representative director of the NPO said, “Despite their high-level skills and experience, many people find their self-esteem declines after being away from work for a long time and they become unable to take their first step forward. We want to resolve that mismatch.”

Job transfer system

According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, labor shortages at companies in Japan reached approximately 1.48 million people in 2024. Meanwhile, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry reports that 1.49 million women who left their jobs due to marriage or childbirth are willing to work but have been unable to take the first step to re-enter the workforce.

Creating environments where these potential workers can play an active part in the workplace could provide a solution to the shortage, and much attention is being paid to this.

Various initiatives are being taken to prevent the underutilization of women in the workplace.

Sixty-one regional banks nationwide have introduced what they call the “regional banks’ talent bank” system. This allows women to transfer to an another regional bank headquartered in the area they have relocated to if their spouse gets a job transfer or they have nursing care responsibilities. As of the end of June, approximately 330 people utilized this system.

Miki Mizuguchi, a 33-year-old worker at a Kagoshima Bank branch, joined the bank in June by using this system. Previously she worked at Nara-based Nanto Bank and handled mortgage system development, but decided to return to her hometown of Kagoshima to access childcare more easily. “The process was smooth and made it easy for me to continue my career,” Mizuguchi reflected.

Part-time, short-term

This potential underemployment isn’t limited to women.

According to the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, approximately 240,000 male seniors, including those who left the job market due to mandatory retirement, remain unemployed despite having an inclination to work.

Early one morning in mid-September on Yakushima island in Kagoshima Prefecture — a World Natural Heritage site — Hideki Morinaga, 60, was skillfully dishing up breakfast in the kitchen of privately run guesthouse Minshuku Yaedake Honkan. “I’m working feverishly as it’s the first time I’ve taken on this type of job, but it’s rewarding,” he said with a smile.

His part-time job is for a two-month period and mainly involves preparing meals and cleaning bath tubs. Living in the dormitory with meals provided, his expenses are minuscule, yielding an income of around ¥300,000.

Morinaga retired as a schoolteacher in March and usually lives with his wife in Fukui Prefecture. “It is attractive to be able to enjoy travel and, at the same time, earn an income without burdening the household finances,” he said. He also assiduously explores the island, enjoying local attractions, including mountain climbing and hot springs.

Such part-time jobs at resorts for seniors are on the rise. According to Tokyo-based company Otetsutabi, which helped to connect Morinaga with the guesthouse, users of its service who are aged 50 and over accounted for 29% of all users as of September, a marked increase from 8% in December 2021.

The Kyushu region, with its abundant nature and numerous hot springs, is expected to see growing interest as a destination for part-time work at resorts.

Urban-rural disparity

What is needed for this untapped workforce to play a more active role?

Yuji Kobayashi, a senior researcher at Persol Research and Consulting Co. who specializes in manpower procurement at companies, points out that “reinforcing the remote work system and manpower development is essential.”

This is because even rural areas struggling with labor shortages can attract potential talent from major cities such as Tokyo and Fukuoka for clerical positions.

However, while companies in the Tokyo metropolitan area increasingly hire multiple women who are caring for children with shorter work hours instead of employing one full-time worker, few companies in rural areas have adopted such flexible work systems. “The widening gap in the work systems between urban and rural areas is a challenge and requires a response,” he said.

Regarding the senior generation, YKK Corp. abolished the mandatory retirement system at its firms operating in Japan. Other companies are also expanding efforts to retain older workers through extended retirement ages and strengthened re-employment programs.