World of HR: 77% of employers in Japan say they’re sticking with DEI

DEI rollbacks? Not so much in one east Asian country, according to a new report.

Where in the world? An overwhelming number of employers in Japan plan to stick with their current DEI initiatives, according to a recent Reuters survey. Some 77% of companies said they will “continue promoting diversity,” while just 3% are “reviewing” their DEI initiatives.

“DEI is a global trend. We don’t see it necessary to change our direction just because one country’s president is against it,” one respondent said.

Japan, however, hasn’t adopted diversity and inclusion efforts as much as some other countries, and appears to be struggling with inclusion, according to the Japan Times. One in five respondents to Reuters’ survey said they have no plans to diversify their workforce.

The country lags behind many other industrialized nations in gender equality, while disabled people face barriers to inclusion at work, an issue Japan has tried to rectify through hiring quotas. The Japanese government also does not prohibit the discrimination of LGBTQ+ workers, with 50% reporting having experienced discrimination at work, according to a 2024 survey by recruitment firm Robert Walters.

Satellite view. Dozens of employers in the US have been convinced by DEI opponents to back away from their diversity programming since 2023, but especially in recent months, following multiple moves by the government to discourage and prohibit the practice. This has prompted some companies outside the US to recalibrate their initiatives moving forward.

Several employers—in an effort to comply with local legislation around diversity measures such as reporting on their gender gap and hiring of disabled workers—have changed their US DEI programming while leaving their international initiatives untouched. Aldi US, for instance, removed all diversity-related language from its website in February, though the company’s Ireland and Australia websites still boast DEI, HR Brew previously reported.

While fewer companies in Europe are directly mentioning diversity in earnings calls, the global impact of the anti-DEI messaging in the US remains unclear.