The threat to jobs caused by the electric vehicle transition isn¡¯t just a hot-button issue in the U.S., where a presidential election campaign is in full swing.

In Japan, the heads of Toyota, the country¡¯s largest employer with close to 381,000 staffers, are grappling with how the carmaker¡¯s technological transformation will impact not only its workers but the nation¡¯s vast auto supply chain and the thousands of jobs it supports.

In South Korea, Hyundai Motor and Kia¡¯s moves toward electrification are provoking similar anxieties in that country¡¯s highly active and organized labor movement.