Society

Global IT talent war sends Japan tech salaries soaring

Dec 12 (Nikkei) - As the global shortage of skilled information technology experts hits Japan hard, companies are scrambling to lure and keep top talent with hefty annual pay packages.

IT company NTT Data announced on Dec. 4 a new performance-based pay system aimed at attracting high flyers in the fields of artificial intelligence and the internet of things.

Keiichiro Yanagi, NTT Data's senior executive vice president, indicated that annual salaries will likely range between 20 million and 30 million yen ($177,300 and $266,000), putting them on par with those of its top executives and similarly qualified employees at overseas companies.

There will be no upper limit on the performance-linked component of the pay package, so annual salaries could conceivably exceed 30 million yen. The company's average salary is about 8.2 million yen.

Japanese chat app provider Line is also upping its offers to skilled young IT prospects, promising between 10 million and 20 million yen annually. E-commerce platform Zozo announced a plan in April to pay its tech wizards up to an eye-watering 100 million yen a year.

Sectors other than technology are also in the hunt for talent. Fast Retailing, operator of casualwear retailer Uniqlo, is hiring more IT staff to upgrade its logistics and demand-forecast systems, even looking to Silicon Valley and other overseas locations to find engineers. A recent posting on a jobs website by the company advertised salaries of up to 20 million yen for IT staff, far above those extended to job seekers in its other departments.

Fast Retailing, operator of Uniqlo, whose office is shown above, is offering annual salaries of up to 20 million yen for IT staff.

By 2020, Japan will face a shortage of about 48,000 engineers in areas like artificial intelligence and internet of things, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The shortage is so acute that in 2016, Toyota Motor set up an AI-focused subsidiary in the U.S. James Kuffner, former head of Google's robotics division, was among a number of renowned researchers who joined the company, which now employs about 300 people.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.