‘They refused to let me go’: Japanese workers turn to resignation agencies to quit jobs

One in six workers has engaged a firm to hand in notice for them, as younger workers reject traditional work ethic

Mari was just two months into her new job when she decided she had had enough. The position at an online bank in Tokyo, found through a staffing agency, had looked like a perfect fit for the 25-year-old, a member of Japan's legions of temporary workers.

But she quickly became despondent. On my first day they gave me a thick manual to read, and when I went to my boss with questions he said: What the hell are you asking me that for?'"