CHRO Association convened members and experts in Tokyo this week for a wide-ranging look at workforce, regulatory and technology issues facing multinational employers in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.
Alan Wild, Senior Advisor for global employee relations, discussed workforce aging.
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He encouraged employers to move from replacing older workers to renewing workforce capabilities through job redesign, lifelong reskilling, knowledge transfer and greater flexibility for employees who choose to work longer.
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He also highlighted the need to address age bias and develop plans that reflect differences across countries, workforce segments and job families.
Wenchao Dong, Senior Director of global practice and policy, reviewed the EU Pay Transparency Directive and the wider global expansion of pay transparency rules.
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We covered applicant transparency, employees’ rights to pay information, gender pay-gap reporting, and the Directive’s 5% threshold for joint pay assessments. Read more in our EU Pay Transparency Pulse Report.
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Effective implementation requires collaboration across Total Rewards, talent acquisition, employee relations, labor relations, performance management and employee communications.
Yoichiro Mori, partner at Jones Day Tokyo, gave an update on recent Japanese legislative developments.
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Amendments to the Act on the Promotion of Women’s Active Engagement in Professional Life and the Industrial Safety and Health Act.
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New measures supporting employees balancing medical treatment with work.
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Payroll deductions tied to Japan’s new child and childcare support contribution.
Tristan Seymour, Jones Day Australia, examined how employees are using AI in the workplace.
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He outlined the current legal framework, key employment risks, where regulation is headed, and practical recommendations for employer AI policies and governance in Australia.
The practical takeaway: Don’t wait for full regulatory clarity in any one market. Start now on the groundwork that applies everywhere—whether that be updated job architecture, defensible pay data and clear AI usage policies, so each region’s requirements can be incorporated rather than built from scratch.
