speculative rice buying; buying rice before harvest
Literal agricultural term: purchasing a rice crop while the fields are still green, i.e., before harvest. Now largely historical or metaphorical.
In the Edo period, speculative rice trading was done through aotagai.
early recruitment of students; hiring students before the official date
Figurative extension of the agricultural term. Refers to companies recruiting university students before the agreed-upon start of the hiring season, often seen as a controversial practice.
Job-hunting rules are established to prevent early recruitment of students.
Early recruitment by major companies has become a problem.
That company has been recruiting talented students well before the official hiring season.
With job hunting starting earlier and earlier, early recruitment practices have become rampant.