The Feb. 19 story "Olympus settles with whistleblower for second time," points out what a terrible disincentive it is to be a whistleblower in Japan. Masaharu Hamada pointed out a great injustice. His employer and Japan, Inc. turned against him, making his life miserable for eight years. Then he wins in court. But what does he win? He was awarded ¥11 million. His lawyers and the court system probably took more than half of that amount.
It doesn't pay to try to make a better company and a better Japan. Yet maybe Mr. Hamada will be a legend years from now as this social and international outrage is remembered.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.