German companies operate globally and therefore have subsidiaries in many countries around the world. There have long been close economic ties with Japan, so German companies also have subsidiaries in Japan.

In addition to other location factors, the availability of qualified workers is of central importance for the establishment and maintenance of foreign subsidiaries. Against this background, the academic focus on Japan is particularly interesting, as this country, like other industrialized nations, is affected by demographic change - in this case, however, to a particular extent. The sharp decline in the birth rate in Japan over a long period of time has led to fewer young people entering the labor market.

Against this background, it is of scientific, but also political and economic interest how German subsidiaries in Japan are currently recruiting young talent and what training and further education practices are being pursued. Based on expert interviews with those responsible for recruitment and training at German companies in Japan, this study examines both the internal factors influencing the company's recruitment and training strategy and the various contextual conditions of the corporate environment (including the education system).