The Supreme Court's first-ever ruling last week on so-called maternity harassment is significant in that it affirms that female workers cannot be unfairly treated in the workplace on account of pregnancy. The ruling sets out criteria for construing the treatment of such women as a violation of the law.
The case also sheds light on the fact that nearly three decades since the law on equal employment opportunities for both genders was enacted, the nation still appears to lack an effective system to prevent women from being forced to abandon career paths once they become pregnant and give birth.
A physical therapist at a hospital in Hiroshima requested that she be moved to a less-demanding work when she became pregnant in 2008, but was subsequently relieved of her managerial position. She sued the hospital for ¥1.7 million in damages, saying it violated the equal employment opportunities law when it demoted her on account of her pregnancy.