From my understanding, working for a major company is really bound up in your social standing in Japanese society. Think of it like health insurance in the US,

From my understanding, working for a major company is really bound up in your social standing in Japanese society. Think of it like health insurance in the US, except everyone in the entire society will kind of think you're a bum if you don't work for one of these companies, and it will color things like your interactions with police and your ability to rent an apartment. And, I think, it's more common these days not to work for one of these companies, so it's an issue for more and more people.