T he term "regular employee" has a different meanin g in Japan than in the United States.

Japanese companies hire new graduates, who all start their careers in April immediately after graduation. They are considered "regular" employees, expected to work at the same company until their retirement.

People hired who have worked at another company, or have some other interval of time between their graduation and employment, are called chuto saiyo (halfway employment) employees and are regarded as having irregular employment. But chuto saiyo employees are also regular, full-time employees, in the expression of the United States.

As the employment system in Japan is changing, the number of chuto saiyo workers is increasing, though many companies still treat chuto saiyo employees differently from their "regular" employees. For example, chuto saiyo employees are paid on a one-year contract basis.

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