The sad story of the president's 900 million yen vs. 4 million employees

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The automobile industry was on an upswing with the "eco-car tax cut" that was in place until September 2010. However, a man in his early 40s who works in a managerial position at Toyota Motor Corporation's headquarters calmly observes the industry's trends.

"As you know, the automobile industry is in a very tough situation. We will be moving more production bases overseas to reduce costs and focusing on developing electric vehicles. My annual income is 7.7 million yen, but I'm satisfied. In this day and age, there's no end to looking up or down."

Meanwhile, an accountant in his 20s working at another major company, Nissan Motors, lamented:

"In June 2010, it was announced that President and CEO Carlos Ghosn's total compensation for the fiscal year ending March 2010 would be approximately 890 million yen. If business had been going well, that might have been one thing, but with the company struggling without a hit product, this was not enough. My take-home pay was approximately 210,000 yen, and my annual salary was 3.99 million yen. I was stunned by the difference."

Amidst this mounting dissatisfaction, Nissan Motors has finally launched the Fuga Hybrid, a large sedan that is its first in-house developed hybrid vehicle (HV) in 10 years, in an attempt to make a comeback.

Even the winners are not getting better treatment
Enlarge photo
Even the winners are not getting better treatment
In 2010, the strong yen and deflation hit the Japanese economy hard. The remove background image distribution industry was forced to respond, and they were repeatedly competing for small profits and high sales. Among them, Fast Retailing, which operates Uniqlo, has maintained an advantage. An expert explains as follows.

"For example, they have a solid strategy, closing roadside stores with poor sales efficiency one after another and opening new large stores in urban areas, as well as developing smaller stores in train stations and station buildings."

Furthermore, while overseas expansion is notable, it is not a rush to open new stores. One example of this is the shift from casual wear to fashionable stores, with famous designers brought in.

However, competition within the company is fierce. A former employee in his 20s said:

"After graduating from university, I joined the company in 2009, but my take-home pay was about 210,000 yen, so my annual income was about 3.5 million yen. There