In workaholic Japan, ‘job leaving agents’ help people escape the awkwardness of quitting

By YURI KAGEYAMA
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — In Japan, a nation reputed for loyalty to companies and lifetime employment, people who job-hop are often viewed as quitters. And that’s considered shameful. Enter “taishoku daiko,” or “job-leaving agents.” Dozens of such services have sprung up in the last several years to help people who simply want out. Founded in 2020, Guardian, a taishoku daiko service, has helped a variety of people, mostly in their 20s and 30s, escape less painfully from jobs they want to quit. That includes people who worked in a Shinto shrine, a dentist’s office and law firm to convenience store and restaurant staff.