The Japanese licence is one of the hardest in the world to obtain, astronaut medical, all written exams and an ultra pedantic flight test. If you have one and experience in Japan, you’d be very attractive to Japanese employers once things pick up.
A younger pilot might be tempted to head back to the land of the rising sun and could find it difficult to convince Alliance that he was going to stay. An older pilot with <10 years to retirement would be more likely to stick around. If he had left on good terms, could convince them that he wanted to see more of his grandchildren and was sick of chasing money then he might be in with a chance.