But since January 1995, Toyota has officially endorsed promotions based on merit. JAL used to hand out semi-annual bonuses averaging four to six months' pay during the boom times. Now the amounts, though still semi-annual, have been halved. Also, they no longer have to be tied down by outmoded corporate ways. Small entrepreneurial firms with flexible employment practices are springing up, many of which, in fact, are run by women.
Sexual harassment is out of the closet.
Labor Minister Nagai Takanobu has said he is urging businesses to fight the problem in Japanese-owned companies abroad. This move stems largely from the massive lawsuit and bad press against Mitsubishi Mo-tor Manufacturing of America. Though Nagai referred to overseas subsidiaries, his words may resound at home too. When Ford took over Mazda Motors and appointed Scotsman Henry Wallace CEO, an important precedent was set. He became the first non-Japanese to head a Japanese multinational.