(LinkAsia: March 23, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Japan's unemployment rate is 4.6 percent, which is about half of the unemployment rate here in the United States. You might think this would sound reassuring to the Japanese, but recent college graduates are plenty worried. According to a new study, more than half of those who graduated in 2010 have either failed to find regular jobs or have already found themselves back in the job market. NHK tells us more.

--

NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: March 19, 2012

Reporter:
According to the cabinet office, nearly 570,000 people who graduated from university or vocational school found permanent jobs. But nearly 200,000 had already quit. Some 140,000 of them were not even working or were working only part-time. 67,000 students have left school without finishing their degrees. The cabinet office says businesses are cautious about hiring due to the sluggish economy. It says some smaller enterprises are willing to hire, but many students would rather work for large firms. 

Job-hunting Student:
I don't even get around to job interviews. That makes me think how tight the labor market really is.

Job-hunting Student:
I was confident at the beginning, but now I often give up hope. That's the situation, really.

Reporter:
The head of a career center at a university in Tokyo points out that many are leaving their careers because they can't deal with the stress.

Satoru Maruyama, Director, Hosei University Career Center:
Many companies say students can't cope with mental strains, and that's also what we feel. During the first three years, they aren't sure they're doing things right. It's important they feel that they have to stick to whatever they are doing no matter what.
 
Yul Kwon:
One creative solution came from a Japanese finalist in the 2010 World Bank Essay Competition on youth unemployment. His solution? Farming. His theory is that the declining agriculture industry needs new blood to reinvent itself. And when it does, you've actually solved two problems -- youth unemployment and food security.