OJT Is Dead — Why Japan’s Middle Managers Need Real Leadership Training Now | Dale Carnegie Tokyo

When I first arrived in Tokyo in 1979, Japan had a strong corporate education system.
Universities produced generalists — companies took on the role of educator.
New grads joined for life and were trained through OJT (On-the-Job Training) by their boss and sempai.
Formal training was minimal; the system worked because time was abundant and staff rarely moved.

Mini-Summary: The traditional Japanese model produced loyal, skilled generalists — but that world no longer exists.

By the mid-1990s, email and PCs eliminated secretarial support.
Managers who once spent time coaching now spent it typing emails.
The OJT system quietly collapsed, but few noticed.
Companies never added formal training to fill the gap — they simply assumed OJT was still working.

Mini-Summary: Digital efficiency stole the leader’s teaching time — and no one replaced it.

When Covid hit, most domestic Japanese firms simply stopped training.
They cancelled face-to-face sessions and rejected online alternatives, doubting their quality.
Dale Carnegie Tokyo was ready — we’d been delivering online since 2010 and ran our first virtual class in March 2020.
We proved interactive online training works, but many companies chose inaction over innovation.

Mini-Summary: During Covid, those who stopped training fell behind — those who adapted survived.

Covid revealed how underdeveloped middle management has become.
Managers can run processes — on time, on budget, on quality — but few can lead people.
They’ve never been formally taught how to set direction, build culture, or develop talent.

Mini-Summary: Japan’s OJT-only leaders manage machines well — but they don’t inspire humans.

People don’t leave companies — they leave bosses.
With a shrinking population, losing talent can be fatal.
Middle Manager leadership training has become a strategic weapon in the war for talent.
Firms that educate their leaders will retain more staff and outperform competitors stuck in the past.

Mini-Summary: Train your leaders or lose your people — OJT can’t save you anymore.

One in three young employees in Japan now quits within three or four years.
Replacing them is expensive and often impossible.
Properly trained Middle Managers are the best retention strategy you can have — they create engagement, clarity, and growth.

Mini-Summary: Retention is leadership’s new ROI — and training is the only way to achieve it.

• OJT alone no longer works in modern Japan.

• Middle Managers need formal leadership development to build culture and retention.

• Firms that refuse to adapt risk losing their best people — and their future.

• Professional training bridges the gap between managers and leaders.

👉 Request a Free Consultation with Dale Carnegie Tokyo to transform your Middle Managers into leaders who can inspire, retain, and deliver results in today’s Japan.

Founded in 1912 in the U.S., Dale Carnegie Training has helped individuals and organizations worldwide develop leaders who inspire trust, drive performance, and build winning cultures.
Since 1963, Dale Carnegie Tokyo has supported Japanese and multinational companies with leadership, sales, and presentation training that changes behavior and builds engagement.