I'm watching NHK General's "Saturday Watch 9." They're reporting on a "special hiring" with a starting salary of 400,000 yen. For comparison, when I joined a private hospital as a new graduate in a welfare position, my base salary was 140,000 yen. This was back in April 1991. A classmate who got a job in finance had a starting salary of 270,000 yen. It really feels like a different era.