Banker Talent War Turns Extreme in Japan’s Market Boom

How hard is it to hire bankers in Japan?

A Wall Street firm cornered a job applicant in a room for two hours to persuade them to join. Some Japanese lenders are refusing to let staffers resign, and banks are holding parties for former employees to lure them back.

These are just a few of the scenes playing out in one of the world’s tightest labor markets as financial firms resort to extreme measures to find and keep talent. While bankers in hubs from Hong Kong to London brace for job cuts as trade wars roil markets, finance staff remain ...