Imagina Hosts Free Seminar on Organizational Transformation to Combat Labor Shortage Bankruptcies in Osaka

Addressing the Crisis of Labor Shortage Bankruptcies in Kansai

As of April 2026, the Kansai region is facing an unprecedented surge in labor shortage bankruptcies. Recent data from Teikoku Databank revealed that the number of corporate bankruptcies in the Kansai area for the 2025 fiscal year has reached 2,700— an increase of 4.0% compared to the previous year, marking the highest levels in 14 years. Of these, a staggering 441 bankruptcies have been attributed to labor shortages, highlighting a national trend that is especially pronounced in Kyoto, which has the highest bankruptcy occurrence rate in the country. This alarming situation necessitates urgent action from local businesses.

Responding to the Crisis with a Free Seminar

In response to this crisis, Imagina Inc., a Tokyo-based branding firm led by CEO Yoshiki Sekino, is hosting a free seminar titled "Organizational Transformation through Inner Branding" at BREEZE PLAZA in Osaka on June 11, 2026. The seminar aims to equip business leaders with the tools they need to mitigate the impacts of rising labor costs and improve employee retention, thus avoiding those company failures linked to worker resignations. With over 3,000 successful case studies in their portfolio, Imagina is prepared to introduce scientific tools such as the 'OBPI' assessments developed in partnership with Cambridge University and actionable methods to reduce turnover risks.

Reality of Increasing Bankruptcies in Kansai

Statistics reveal that the corporate environment in the Kinki region is alarmingly severe. The bankruptcies recorded are a direct result of rising costs due to inflation coupled with an inability to secure adequate manpower, leading to significant supply constraints. In fact, the rise in labor shortage bankruptcies nationwide was astonishing, with 441 cases recorded— a figure 1.3 times higher than the previous year. Among these, 118 cases were identified as 'employee resignation bankruptcies,' exposing the vulnerabilities of small to medium-sized enterprises.

The crisis deepens in the Kansai region with Kyoto prefecture experiencing a bankruptcy occurrence rate of 0.36%, nearly double the national average and ranking first for the highest frequency of business failures in the nation. Moreover, every prefecture in the Kinki region is among the top ten worst-hit areas, underscoring the dire state of companies in the region grappling with labor shortages and increased costs.

Stagnation in Wage Increases

Although around 80% of organizations in Kansai are contemplating wage increases, many small businesses struggle to implement these due to ongoing performance declines. This dichotomy illustrates a 'race to the bottom,' where companies unable to compete in the wage increase battle are losing their talent to competitors who can afford to pay more, creating a vicious cycle.

Leveraging Science for Better Recruitment

Imaginas aims to combat this crisis by focusing on the quality of hiring and the pull of organizational culture. Many hiring processes in Japan still rely heavily on subjective decision-making by interviewers, which can lead to erroneous hires and subsequent early departures, costing businesses up to 6.4 million yen per employee. The 'OBPI' psychological characteristics assessment tool, developed in collaboration with the Cambridge University Psychometrics Centre, identifies candidates whose values genuinely align with a company's ethos, reducing mismatches and lowering attrition rates by up to 50%, while tripling retention spans.

Developing Future Leaders with Business EQ

Another critical factor in the ongoing outflow of young talent from Kansai to the Tokyo region is the lack of strong management competencies among supervisors. Imaginas' concept of 'Business EQ (Emotional Intelligence)' emphasizes the ability to understand and connect with others' emotions, fostering constructive relationships. Studies indicate that about 90% of factors contributing to success in organizations are related to EQ, underscoring its role in determining the competitive edge of an organization.

At the seminar, strategies to embed organizational values as a “common language” will be detailed, offering insights on how to establish self-driven cultures. Organizations that successfully cultivate planned successor and executive development nurture over four times the revenue growth compared to their peers, all while navigating the uncertainty looming post-expo.

Seminar Details

- Date: June 11, 2026 (Thursday), 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM (Doors open at 9:45 AM)
- Venue: BREEZE PLAZA, Room 805, 2-4-9 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka
- Registration Fee: Free (Pre-registration required)
- Speaker: Yoshiki Sekino, CEO of Imagina Inc.
- Target Audience: Executives, Officers, HR Managers
- Special Offer: Individual free consultations with Imagina consultants on challenges related to hiring, HR systems, and PR