First day on the job for Japan's nervous new recruits

There were 1,460 new employees of the Japan Airlines Group who attended the entrance ceremony in Tokyo on April 1, 2016

Tokyo (AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of Japanese started their first day on the job Friday in an annual ritual born from the country's fast-disappearing jobs-for-life work culture.

More than 500 recruits pumped their fists in the air and shouted "yacchae, Nissan" ("go for it, Nissan") at the automaker's welcoming ceremony, while Japan Airlines' new hires -- clad in black suits and spotless white shirts -- tossed paper aeroplanes inside a giant hangar.