Maria Demina

The article is aimed at identification of changes in the  Japanese approach to  human resource management in the present conditions. The introduction gives a brief overview of foreign research of Japanese models of management in the period from the 1970s to the 1990s. Moreover, the reasons for its cost-efficiency and sustainability are highlighted.In the next part of the article the author addresses current challenges for the management model and the transformation taking place in response to these challenges. Statistical data reveal the changes in pay practices and relative contraction of lifetime employment system. In addition, the results of the mission statement analysis indicate that few employers emphasize traditional values. Appealing to national religious and philosophical traditions, which in theory morally legitimizes the lifetime employment, can be regarded as the exception rather than the rule.