First day on the job

Release the 'Clones'

"Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away If you can use some exotic booze There's a bar in far Bombay Come on and fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away"

just like high school... only you have chairs

Looks like there at a funeral, where,s the variety in color choice for the suits, unless that,s the dress code policy!!

The entire front row is male (and probably 90% of the room). Seems like it would be a rather oppressive working environment.

Pictures like this everywhere in the media around the beginning of April are not meant as news but as instruction and propaganda. The message is: "submission makes free."

I wonder if the ceremony started with a April's fool joke. In the line:

"Welcome to this great company, together we will weather all the financial turbulence and you will be happy working here till you retire!"

Looks like there at a funeral

The irony of that statement is astounding! They are saying goodbye to everything they have studied and earned to be replaced with two words, "Hai! Wakatta!" and a lifetime of servitude. Good luck kids!

drone, drone and more drones.

robot, robot and more robots.

The more I look at the picture the more sad I feel. So many wasted lives. Japan does not inspire its young, it consumes them.

Looks like the second follow up picture to the Zombie one yesterday.

it's this aspect of j-culture that many people dislike, but at the same time, this is what makes japan so safe: follow tradition, obey the rules and don't try to stick out so much (except for the 4th guy in the front row with shaggy hair :)).

Let's Drone! :P

Try to find that sign of humility, respect and appreciation for a job at any airline or company in America.

There is not a single visibly non-Japanese person shown in this lineup of the company's newest career-track recruits.

You would think that a company of ANA's caliber with operations/customers worldwide would have a more diverse head office workforce. In addition to the lack of diversity in this photo, this company does not have a single non-Japanese board member or executive officer. This is a scenario that is all to common among Japan's conglomerates/multinationals, and it adversely sets them apart from other companies in their respective industries overseas.

Japan will not easily emerge from its longstanding competitive slump unless it shakes this sort of ethnically-centered corporate mentality.

"You belong to us!"

There is not a single visibly non-Japanese person shown in this lineup of the company's newest career-track recruits.

It's not their fault that the number of qualified applicants who can speak an equal level of Japanese as the rest of the people standing there....is pretty much zero.

Zombies as the pic of the day twice in a row.

Who are you to call them clones, zombies or other names?

Many of them aspire to a great career and hope to be an active member of the Japanese society.

"1,068 new recruits attended the ceremony." And the other 32?

I am not a number!

Some posters have a bit of a negative tone, but I can tell you I'd rather fly on All Nippon because the service of most Japanese Airlines is superior to say, Delta or American Airlines.

It is nice to see new blood come into a great organization. I wish them all the best of luck!

@Sensato

There is no lack of diversity in job opportunities at these Japanese airlines.

Why the other day, I heard how pilot cadets were manning check-in counters at the airport.

This photo was taken right after their company's spokesman told them what he tells all new recruits each year: Bend over and assume the position.

Many of them aspire to a great career and hope to be an active member of the Japanese society.

I cannot stop laughing

Scary to see such images in 2013...when innovation and creativity are valued.

It's not their fault that the number of qualified applicants who can speak an equal level of Japanese as the rest of the people standing there....is pretty much zero.

That's an excellent point. I think multinationals around the world should adapt that policy. "If you don't speak the native language of our founders flawlessly, then we will never hire you." A surefire way to acquire the best engineers, researchers, accountants, etc.

Employer: now which one of you want's to break the mould?

New recruits shuffle feet ever so slightly and keep eyes downcast.

Employer: And who amongst you think you have a new, innovative idea that will progress our company?

New recruits look up as though they have a small hat on that does not protect them from the heavy shower. Getting bolder.

Employer: And who amongst you are prepared to challange our goals?

New recruits - one raises his hand........I have an idea...

Employer: FIRED!!!

New recruits shuffle feet ever so slightly and keep eyes downcast.

cornbread1Apr. 02, 2013 - 12:13PM JST "Scary to see such images in 2013...when innovation and creativity are valued." You see it everywhere, Universities in particular, where innovation and creativity should be valued ... http://207rewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/University-of-Maine-Presque-Isle-Graduation-Ceremony-2012.jpg At least ANA lets them choose their tie ;)

No bloody thanks!

I really would love to see Japan start trying to do something new, these scenes remind me the decline is highly likely to continue unabated

The entire front row is male (and probably 90% of the room). Seems like it would be a rather oppressive working environment.

@Sensato

I can't speak for the middle, but looking at the rows of legs as far as one can see along the edge I see nothing but nylons. Still the first row the men are likely the career-track hires while the women will undoubtedly be flight attendants and check in counter staff.

Oh, give them a break. Their dreams will shrink as fast as their waistlines will grow. Best of luck kids!

And the beat goes on... La di da di-dee, la di da di-da...

The Japanese ideal of a worker: life devoted to never ending work (resulting in death from overwork), military-like discipline, zero creativity, maximum efficiency.

What is all this?? All this joy and happiness?? Have they all won big on the lottery?? No they have won the right to a life of slavery, no holidays and worked to death. Congratulations people!!

real creepy. they should have been working in the west cause now they will work long hrs

"just like high school... only you have chairs" umm... just like all jobs, only Japan. many jobs, big companies, etc, have some sort of entrance ceremony like this.

There is not a single visibly non-Japanese person shown in this lineup of the company's newest career-track recruits.

Yeah, a whopping 20 faces can be discerned out of a group of 1,068! A truly multinational company would have known where the photographer would be taking the pictures from, and made sure those 20 seat were occupied by foreigners. After all, they should have known SOMEONE would look at the picture and complain about how a Japanese company only appears to have Japanese people in the picture!

1984

out!

Heh. I did not have to attend this ceremony when I was hired.

I can see the Damocles hammer hanging above their heads!

in a robotic unison voice, " Yes master ! ! ! "

the nail that sticks up gets hammered down...

And to think that they are probably all thrilled to bits and their parents SO proud that they have been hired by such a prestigious Japanese company. I feel for them. What a life. Especially for all the ows of nylons people have spotted - good luck to all of them when they one day swap those nylons for maternity pants.

it's Japanese culture, if anyone here have work or working in the big Japanese companies, then this should not be new.

I would love to see just one guy or girl wearing a different colour suit/shirt....

I would love to see just one guy or girl wearing a different color suit/shirt...

At the very least an out of the ordinary tie.

For me, an airline is the just about the last place I want to see "innovative" or "creative" employees (except maybe in the marketing department). I much prefer a thousand so-called drones working as a team with precise efficiency and attention to detail over the gawdawful mess air travel has become most everywhere else in the world. BTW, congrats to ANA on getting a five star rating from Skytrax this year.