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A new law regarding foreign workers brings up old problems

Issues | LABOR PAINS Dec 12, 2018

A new law regarding foreign workers brings up old problems

by Hifumi Okunuki

Activists in the field bring up concerns with Japan's new approach to manual laborers from overseas.

For work rules in Japan to legally count, employers must hammer them home

Issues | LABOR PAINS Oct 31, 2018

For work rules in Japan to legally count, employers must hammer them home

by Hifumi Okunuki

Court precedents in Japan have reinforced that work rules lack legal power if they are not easily accessible and known to employees.

Abe's work-style reforms give Japan's employers the green light to demand unpaid and unsafe overtime

Issues | LABOR PAINS Sep 23, 2018

Abe's work-style reforms give Japan's employers the green light to demand unpaid and unsafe overtime

by Hifumi Okunuki

New law caps overtime at unhealthy levels and sets up a system that will legitimize the principle of working for nothing.

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Tokyo Medical University scandal is a throwback to when discrimination against women was the norm

Issues | LABOR PAINS Aug 26, 2018

Tokyo Medical University scandal is a throwback to when discrimination against women was the norm

by Hifumi Okunuki

Listening to the excuses being given for discrimination today, it's almost as if 1985's Equal Opportunity Act never happened.

Japan's courts don't share Mio Sugita's views on supporting LGBT people, precedents show

Issues | LABOR PAINS Jul 30, 2018

Japan's courts don't share Mio Sugita's views on supporting LGBT people, precedents show

by Hifumi Okunuki

The country's courts are drawing a line in the sand over discrimination against LGBT people, even as far-right LDP lawmaker Mio Sugita slams support for 'unproductive' members of society.

Two Japan Supreme Court cases clarify when discrimination against fixed-term workers is OK

Issues | LABOR PAINS Jun 24, 2018

Two Japan Supreme Court cases clarify when discrimination against fixed-term workers is OK

by Hifumi Okunuki

June 1, 2018, saw two verdicts from two similar cases handed down by the Supreme Court, both based on the 2012 amendment to the Labor Contract Law.

Devilish Japanese TV drama makes a mockery of workplace rights

Issues | LABOR PAINS May 27, 2018

Devilish Japanese TV drama makes a mockery of workplace rights

by Hifumi Okunuki

In "Miss Devil," each firing has some deeper purpose that in the end benefits the hapless victim. The lesson boils down to "I know what's good for you more than you do yourself."

Abe walks a tightrope on Japan's foreign worker policy

Issues | LABOR PAINS Apr 29, 2018

Abe walks a tightrope on Japan's foreign worker policy

by Hifumi Okunuki

The foreign proportion of Japan's population remains tiny compared to that in European countries or North America, yet the impact of the growing ranks of foreign workers is considerable.

Dodgy data spared Japan's workers from a labor system that's ripe for abuse, for now

Issues | LABOR PAINS Mar 25, 2018

Dodgy data spared Japan's workers from a labor system that's ripe for abuse, for now

by Hifumi Okunuki

At first glance, the discretionary work system looks like a dream come true in terms of work-life balance. On closer inspection, though, it has the potential to be a worker's nightmare.

Lessons on life, love and compassionate leave from a silly old bunny

Issues | LABOR PAINS Feb 25, 2018

Lessons on life, love and compassionate leave from a silly old bunny

by Hifumi Okunuki

Having just suffered a string of painful losses, this month I will explore compassionate leave (kibiki kyūka), the days you take off in Japan after the death of a close family member.

Court cases shine a light on Japan's problem with paternity leave

Issues | LABOR PAINS Jan 28, 2018

Court cases shine a light on Japan's problem with paternity leave

by James McCrostie

Two cases currently before the courts show how the reality of Japanese workplaces can clash with government attempts to encourage fathers to help raise their children.

TV drama glorifies the Japanese scourge of working illegally for nothing

Issues | LABOR PAINS Oct 29, 2017

TV drama glorifies the Japanese scourge of working illegally for nothing

by Hifumi Okunuki

In the TBS drama "Rikuo," female factory workers work all hours — some of them unpaid — to make a new type of running shoe.

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