Nippon Television Network Corp. reached a court-mediated settlement Thursday with a female college student who sued the broadcaster for rescinding an earlier offer for an announcer's job because she had worked at a night club.
In the suit filed with the Tokyo District Court, Rina Sasazaki, 22, sought to have NTV reinstate its job offer so she can begin working for the network in April.
The position of announcer is a highly coveted job among college graduates, particularly women.
The court settlement is centered on NTV's willingness to hire Sasazaki, who is currently a senior at Toyo Eiwa University in Yokohama.
On Wednesday, the lawyer for the plaintiff told several reporters, "If we reach a settlement, I would like to express my respect for NTV's decision."
Sasazaki won a "miss campus" beauty contest in 2011 and has appeared as a model in fashion magazines.
According to the lawsuit, NTV offered Sasazaki the position on condition she not seek other jobs after she attended a seminar organized by the Tokyo-based network in September 2013.
Last March, Sasazaki told a human resources official at NTV that she had briefly worked part time for a night club in the Ginza district run by an acquaintance of her mother. She was then notified in May that the company had terminated its job offer.
The notification letter stated that "announcers require high degrees of cleanliness," according to Sasazaki.