When her part-time contract was up for renewal in September 2000, Michiko's boss made clear the degree of negotiating power she had.
"A part-time worker has no right to speak on working conditions when even regular employees don't know what's going to happen to them," he said.
The 51-year-old part-timer, who asked that her real name not be used, worked at an information technology company, which last year issued a notice to part-timers saying that working hours would be cut and that they would no longer receive retirement pay or raises.