ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />STORY: More than 700 Japanese students gathered at a rally on Wednesday (January 29), cheering, singing and fist-pumping the air to build enthusiasm for the annual job hunt.<br/> <br />Students at the rally said Japan's job-searching season is an extremely demanding and stressful time but they hoped this rally, arranged by a group of local colleges, would be the boost needed to find a job as soon as possible.<br/> <br />This annual mass-hiring ritual dates back to the country's post-war economic miracle when skilled workers were in short supply and companies began hiring graduates en masse. In early December every year almost every major Japanese company begin advertising entry-level position.<br/> <br />Fourth-year students will typically send up to a hundred or more applications, go to dozens of presentations and attend multiple interviews with 20-30 prospective employers.<br/> <br />Typically students will wear black suits and white shirts, lining up as a group o
