Both Sweden and Japan "were" famous for their low unemployment rate (about 2%) until 1991.  But since last year the economic situation of both countries have become worse and worse.  In Sweden unemployment rate has risen to 7.7% on April in 1993.  On the other hand, the unemployment rate in Japan has risen only slightly to 2.8% on April in 1993.

  In Japan government does not have big influence to the labor market. In Japan official labor market policy is not so strong.

 There are three main reasons of the low unemployment rate in Japan .

  The first reason is that the most of all the Japanese private companies have the custom of the "life-long employment system".  This is a very unique system in Japan.  In Japan once man begins to work at one company, they usually continue to work at the same company until the retirement (about 60 years old).  Nowadays more and more young people change jobs, but it is still minority.

  So when the economic condition is bad, the company provides the education for the labor or find another job within at the same company or at the brother companies.  In other words, we can say that the Japanese private companies have their own labor market policy and have the responsibility for the jobs of the labor.  It is like a "Welfare Company" instead of "Welfare State".  And if man continues to work at the same company, the salary rises up automatically according to the labor's age.  So it is profitable for the workers to continue to work at the same company.

  The merit of this "life-long employment system" is that the companies seldom lay off their workers.  So the workers do not need to worry about unemployment, if once they get the jobs.

  The demerit of this system is that the workers depend to much on the companies.  They must be very loyal to their companies.  So the power of the labor union is very weak.  And for example, it is very common in Japan that the white color workers work ten or eleven hours a day and have very few holidays.  If the workers quit job, it is rather difficult to find new good job and the salary usually falls down.

 The second reason of the low unemployment rate is that the there are so many housewives in Japan. About half of the adult women in Japan are housewives.  Many men want their wives to stay at home and to be a housewife is a kind of status symbol in Japan. 

  When the economic condition becomes bad, companies lay off the part-time women workers and the women go back to housewives.  So the unemployment rate does not rise so much.  And in Japan housewives can also get the pension as much as their husbands.

  In Japan the average retirement age of the public sector and the big companies is about 60 years old and man can get the pension from 60 years old.  But most of the pensioners find another jobs and continue to work till 65 years old.  Because they need more money or they have nothing to do at home.

  The expenditure of the pension is supposed to increase so rapidly in Japan, so the government plans to put off it till 65 years old.

  The women's roles in the labor market in Sweden and in Japan are very different.  Concerning the idea that "men should go to work and women stay home", the 1987 survey in Japan found 36.6% of females respondents answered, " Agree" 31.9%, "Disagree" and 29.3%, "Cannot say either way".  On the other hand, 51.7% of male respondents, a significantly higher percentage than that recorded by women, answered "Agree".

   But the survey i n  1990 , the ratio of " Agree " decreased  dramatically -29.3%(Agree), 29.4%(Cannot say which) , and 39.1%(Disagree) -. So the mentality of the Japanese women has been changing rapidly.

  And the female labor force participation ratios by age group is as follows.

  One of the reasons are their companies do not need them any more.  The companies want to lay off the married women and recruit younger women.  Another reason is that in Japan there are not enough number of day-care center for the children.

  One of the big difference between two countries is that the ratio of the female public workers.  In Sweden about 70% of the female workers work at the public sector, but in Japan only 2% female workers work at the public sector (in 1988).

  But among the young generation's opinion research.  Japanese young people are more similar to the Swedish people.  The following statistic is from the 1,000 young people (18 years old -24 years old) in Japan and in Sweden.

  So it is expected that in near future more and more Japanese women will work outside.

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