Japanese companies such as Sony and Bandai Namco are incorporating winter bonuses into base salaries as part of their strategy to draw in new talent

Sony and Bandai Namco have decided to eliminate employee bonuses in Japan, opting instead to enhance base salaries.

A report from Nikkei Business, as highlighted by Automaton, indicates that the winter bonus, which is typically one of two annual bonuses for Japanese employees, has been merged into monthly pay, thereby increasing overall salaries.

Automaton provides details showing an increase of approximately $330 per month for starting salaries in certain entry-level roles at Sony Group. Meanwhile, Bandai Namco raised its starting salaries from about $1500 to $1980 per month in 2022, with a further recent increase of $100 each month.

This adjustment in salaries appears to be a strategy to attract and retain skilled employees amid a competitive environment.

Moreover, reports have emerged that Bandai Namco reduced its workforce by over 100 employees between April 2024 and February 2025. This development followed reports from last October indicating the firm's "traditional Japanese" strategy to reduce headcount by moving employees to idle positions, thus pressuring them to resign voluntarily.

Reports at the time claimed that 200 of its then 1300 employees were relocated to these "expulsion rooms" – known as "oidashi beya" – leading to nearly half resigning voluntarily since then.