A report from the labor ministry last month found that 30 percent of women in Japan have been sexually harassed. While the reality of harassment is known to most people, the survey was, surprisingly, the first of its kind conducted by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. The high rate of harassment found in the survey demands action by the government and employers.

The survey, conducted last September and October, covered about 26,000 women at 6,500 companies across Japan aged 25 to 44, followed by an online survey with about 5,000 more women. The overall percentage of women reporting sexual harassment was 28.7 percent. Regular employees, though, had a higher rate of harassment, at 34.7 percent, followed by contract workers at 24.6 percent, temporary employees at 20.9 percent and part-time workers at 17.8 percent. Clearly, the more time that was spent at work, the more harassment women suffered.

There are different types of harassment, but all create a frustrating, unproductive, and unfair environment for women. Over half the respondents told of receiving comments about their age, appearance or other external characteristics. Unnecessary physical contact was reported by 40.1 percent. Comments or questions about sexual issues were reported by 38.2 percent. Women were also forced to sing karaoke together, expected to pour alcohol or sit in certain places at drinking parties, or were asked out for meals or dates. Direct sexual propositions were received by 16.8 percent.