As April 1 is the start of the new fiscal year, companies across Japan as well as ministries and agencies welcomed new employees, many of them holding ceremonies under measures to avoid crowding.
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., which canceled its welcome ceremony for new employees last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, held a ceremony Thursday at the company's headquarters in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Of the 272 new employees, 48 who reside in Tokyo attended in person, while the remaining 224 participated via virtual reality using avatars. When these avatars were displayed on a screen in the ceremony venue, they were greeted with applause.
"I hope you will not be afraid of failing and will take on challenges to do creative work," President Shinichiro Funabiki said in his welcome speech.
In Kobe, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., which had also canceled its welcome ceremony last year, held a ceremony at a venue in the city after making all the attendees take a PCR test. Robots developed by the company were brought in for the tests and everyone was confirmed to have tested negative.
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