Mentor For, Offering Accompanying Professional Mentors to Alleviate 'Management Loneliness', Wins Professional Category at Japan's HR Award 2026

Mentor For Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Masako Ikahara; hereinafter “Mentor For”), which provides long-term support for organizational DE&I advancement, is pleased to announce its selection as a finalist in the Professional Category of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare-endorsed “HR Award 2026” hosted by Nihon no Jinjibu (Japan's HR Department).

Starting July 13, 2026 (Mon), public voting for the Grand Prix and Excellence Award finalists will begin on the official HR Award website. We welcome votes from those who support Mentor For’s initiative, “Accompanying Professional Mentors to Alleviate Management Loneliness.”

Award details: https://jinjibu.jp/hr-award/prize.php#prize3

Vote here: https://jinjibu.jp/gfrm/eventEnquete/award-26-0001/form/

◆ About Japan's HR Award

The HR Award is a recognition program honoring outstanding initiatives related to people and organizations. By highlighting excellent practices, it aims to share new insights and know-how among HR professionals and contribute to the growth of companies nationwide. The Grand Prix and Excellence Awards are determined by voting from full members of “Nihon no Jinjibu” across Japan. Now in its 15th year, the award is widely regarded as the most authoritative HR-related honor due to its fair operation and the involvement of HR professionals in the selection process.

Official HR Award website: https://jinjibu.jp/hr-award/

◆ Over 60% of Employees Do Not Seek Management Promotion; Talent Shortage Now Affects Management Roles

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s “Analysis of Labour Economy 2018 (Heisei 30),” over 60% of non-managerial employees and those at the section chief or supervisor level do not wish to advance into management roles. Common reasons include “increased responsibility,” “long working hours,” and “lack of confidence in managing or mentoring subordinates.”

Additionally, the Cabinet Office’s “White Paper on Gender Equality 2023 (Reiwa 5)” indicates that 38.1% of women cite “lack of role models” as the primary reason for difficulty in advancing to management, highlighting a shortage of relatable internal figures to consult, which creates psychological barriers to management roles regardless of gender.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s “Analysis of Labour Economy 2025 (Reiwa 7)” lists “management-level positions” as one of the most severely affected roles in corporate labor shortages, following skilled on-site workers and sales/service staff. This indicates that the shortage of management talent is becoming a tangible issue at the operational level. Mentor For addresses this challenge through external mentorship programs designed to alleviate “management loneliness.”

◆ Mentor For’s Solution and Achievements

Mentor For operates a program where approximately 180 external mentors (men and women), selected from graduates of its in-house school (Business & Career Mentor Academy: BCMA), accompany individual managers on a monthly basis for six months or longer. These mentors go beyond serving as sounding boards for difficult internal issues, providing diverse external perspectives and rich management experience through sustained one-on-one mentorship, thereby alleviating mentees’ isolation and accelerating their growth.

A key feature is the program’s support for internalizing the mentorship system: next-generation internal mentors are selected and trained from among managers who have experienced external mentorship. This fosters cross-departmental and cross-hierarchical “diagonal support relationships” within organizations, enabling senior managers’ knowledge to be accumulated as organizational assets.

The program has been implemented in over 200 companies. Among participants who completed the program for over two months, 70% achieved career advancement such as promotion or role elevation. Additionally, mentees’ self-assessment of “confidence in active contribution and growth within the company” improved from 3.44 to 4.02 on a 5-point scale, demonstrating tangible behavioral change.

We kindly ask for your support through voting.

Vote here: https://jinjibu.jp/gfrm/eventEnquete/award-26-0001/form/

Additionally, on July 22, 2026 (Wed), Mentor For will host a commemorative seminar titled “Transforming Organizations Through Systems: Key Points in Utilizing External Mentors and Internalization to Alleviate Management Loneliness and Achieve 70% Career Advancement,” presented by CEO Masako Ikahara. For details, please visit the registration site below.

Seminar details: https://mentorfor.jp/seminar_event/seminar-20260722

◆ About Mentor For Inc.

Mentor For’s mission is to advance DE&I in society and organizations while accompanying people and organizations in their growth. The company cultivates role model talent as “external mentors” and matches them with diverse managerial candidates, including women. It also provides one-stop support for developing internal mentors and sponsors, DE&I consulting, training, and seminars, all while accompanying organizational transformation. In February 2026, Mentor For joined Gakken Business Brains Inc., a subsidiary of Gakken Holdings Co., Ltd., strengthening its platform for supporting human capital management and women’s advancement.

Founded: September 2014 (Mentorship business launched in 2018) / CEO: Masako Ikahara

Headquarters: Ohsaki Bright Core 411, 5-5-15 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-0001

Group: Gakken Business Brains Inc. (Group company of Gakken Holdings Co., Ltd.)

Business Activities: Mentor training, external mentor matching, internal mentor program development support, DE&I consulting, training, and seminars

Website: https://mentorfor.jp/

Business & Career Mentor Academy (BCMA): https://bcmentor.jp/