Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd. (Meiji HD) is seeking applicants for voluntary retirements within its subsidiary enterprises. This strategy might be linked to their long-term plans for employee rejuvenation and cost optimization. It is not immediately clear how many employees will answer this call or the exact subsidies promised to those who opt for the retirement plan. As one of Japan's leading food and pharmaceutical producers, Meiji HD's move could set a trend within Japanese industrial sector.

Japan is a country known for lifetime employment practices; voluntary retirement is not as common as in the West. However, in recent years, companies like Meiji HD have started to utilize this as a strategy to streamline their businesses and initiate a workforce rejuvenation process. This news might spark discussions about workers' rights, lifetime employment culture and future of the aging workforce in Japan.

In the US or EU, voluntary retirement and layoff schemes are widely used as parts of corporate restructuring. Companies offer lucrative packages to encourage employees toward voluntary retirement. However, Japan’s lifetime employment system makes this less common, and such appeals could stir mixed feelings in the societal and business environments.