Considering the fact that more than 20 years have passed since the implementation of
the Look East Policy (LEP)[1], the extent of Japanese-style management introduced and
practiced in Malaysian companies should be reflected in the management policies of
Malaysian companies. The objective of this research is to examine whether Japanese
recruitment practices are introduced and practiced in the manufacturing companies in
Malaysia, since the implementation of the LEP. This paper gives an insight into
Japanese recruitment practices during the period of continuous business growth and
the adoption of these practices by some of the manufacturing companies in Malaysia. It
offers practical guidance to human capital (HC) practitioners embarking on new
recruitment policies. Japanese recruitment practices have made it possible for
companies to carry out their other human capital management (HCM) policies, such as
comprehensive HC development, internal and seniority-based promotion,
mentor-mentee system, kaizen and job rotation. With Malaysia’s efforts towards