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Masako Suzuki
For Masako Suzuki's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 2, 2014
Post-school life can bring visa complications
After The Japan Times published a Lifelines column on Dec. 15 that focused on visa issues, we received a lot of mail from readers asking about their particular individual situations. We would like to stress that it is always best to have a professional look at personal cases.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 28, 2013
When can you fight a job transfer?
A foreign reader writes: "My husband is working for a company that has branches in Shinagawa, Narita and Ibaraki. He used to work at the Shinagawa branch, and then he was forced to move to the Narita branch.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 11, 2012
Three steps to judging whether a disciplinary measure is legal
An English teacher writes: "Recently, my company placed me on a three-month suspension from work, until five days before my fixed-period employment contract expires. As I am still employed, I cannot claim unemployment benefits, and this lengthy period makes it almost financially prohibitive to remain in Japan.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 15, 2012
Name on deeds shouldn't affect divorce asset split
Mr. A writes: "I'm a foreigner who has been married to a Japanese for more than 20 years. We bought a house in her name a few years ago, with a loan that's due after 30 years. Every month I pay half of the monthly installment.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 14, 2012
Firms have few grounds to refuse staff paid leave
Reader KA writes: "In a recent Lifelines column ("All employees in Japan are entitled to paid leave, period," Dec. 13) it was stated that all employees have the legal right to take paid vacation providing they meet certain basic criteria. Whilst that is legally correct, employers can often prevent paid holidays from being taken, stating that the business or staffing situation does not allow paid holidays to be taken until a distant time in the future. What can an employee do if an employer offers a number of excuses for not allowing paid vacation?
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 13, 2011
All employees in Japan are entitled to paid leave, period
Reader A is employed by an agency and has been dispatched to a food processing company. The agency explained to A that she was not entitled to paid leave. However, other people directly employed by the food processing company enjoy 10 to 15 days paid holiday, and A has recently learned that those dispatched by other agencies to the same company also get paid leave.
COMMUNITY / LIFELINES
Oct 4, 2011
Unfair dismissal: the legal options
Reader MB was recently fired from a private language school he'd been working at for five years.

Longform

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