Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd said on Monday it will implement an early retirement scheme from July in a move that local media said would cut 3,000 jobs, or about 2.5 percent of its work force in Japan.
Matsushita, maker of Panasonic branded electronics, said the retirement scheme would focus on its information systems development division and employees at electronic components and battery units in Japan.
Business daily Nihon Keizai said on Sunday that the retirement package was aimed at trimming back about 3,000 domestic jobs, but a Matsushita spokesman said the company had not yet set a specific target.
"We plan to implement a retirement scheme in July, but we are not sure at this point how many people will participate," the spokesman said.
After two years of losses, Matsushita returned to profit in the business year that ended on March 31, helped in part by cost-cutting efforts from a restructuring programme started three years ago that included plant closures and around 13,000 job cuts.