Announcement of the Reading Group on 'Flexicurity and Transitional Labour Market Approach'

Shosukabu.com Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nerima-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and Chairman: Yutaka Yamanaka; hereinafter "the Company") will hold a reading group themed around "Flexicurity and the Transitional Labour Market Approach," co-hosted with the Nerima Political Research Association and the Civil Section 8 Monitoring Committee.

This paper examines the flexicurity discourse developed in the EU and the transitional labour market approach that builds upon it. This is based on the recognition that balancing flexibility and security in the labour market amid globalization and the progression of a knowledge-based economy is a fundamental challenge for labour market reform and welfare state restructuring.

A major feature of this paper is that it views flexicurity not simply as an ideology, but as a combination of various types of flexibility and security. In the text, flexibility is categorized into external numerical flexibility, internal numerical flexibility, internal functional flexibility, and external functional flexibility; while security is indicated as job security, income security, employment security, and combination security.

Also, an important point is that flexicurity research has entered a new stage, showing that during the European economic crisis, not only the Danish model (combining easy dismissal with high unemployment benefits) but also the German model (combining strong employment protection with working time adjustments) functioned relatively effectively.

Furthermore, the paper focuses on the transitional labour market approach. It proposes institutionalizing mobility as "protected mobility," which includes not only movement within the labour market but also transitions between education and employment, employment and household, employment and unemployment, and employment and retirement. This provides a perspective for considering more employment opportunities and the possibility of a redefined full employment.

In this reading group, the main discussion points will be the relationship between flexibility and security, the comparison between the Danish and German models, the significance of the transitional labour market approach, and how to redesign the labour market across the entire life course, including education, training, child-rearing, nursing care, and unemployment.

Paper Introduction URL: https://x.gd/P4Hxe

Author/Presenter
Akitaka Wakamori (Kansai University)
*This special feature is a record of the Public Finance Study Group held at Kyoto University on July 7, 2014, and the content reported by Akitaka Wakamori based on his book "The Frontline of Neoliberalism, the State, and Flexicurity."

Event Overview
Theme: Reading Group on "Flexicurity and Transitional Labour Market Approach"
Organizer: Shosukabu.com Co., Ltd.
Co-organizers: Nerima Political Research Association, Civil Section 8 Monitoring Committee
Date: Late April 2026 (Scheduled)
Format: Online via Zoom
Fee: Free (Pre-registration required)
How to apply: Please send an email to info@shosukabu.com, clearly stating "Request to participate in Flexicurity Reading Group" in the subject line.

■ Lecturer Profile
Yutaka Yamanaka
Representing the generation born in December 1976, he is an activist investor, art collector, philanthropist, political campaign sponsor, election consultant, policy advisor, social activist, and Akita dog lover. Internationally recognized as an "activist investor who understands technology," he is the first Japanese person in history to achieve over 150 billion yen in asset building purely through investments.

In the early 2010s, he focused on NVIDIA, which develops semiconductors for GPGPU and Artificial Intelligence, executing an investment of over 2 billion yen. As a result, he realized a return of over 100 times, becoming the first Japanese person to join the billionaire ranks purely as an investor.

Graduated top of his class from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Economics. Obtained a Master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School (Financial Engineering), London School of Economics...