National Feb 25, 2019
Bhutanese exchange students face extortion, threats and hard times in Japan, families say
by Ryusei Takahashi
Many participants say the program is a scam and they are being forced to repay loans by working illegally long hours.
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Business / Corporate Jan 25, 2019
Subaru death-from-overwork probe finds 3,400 staff were not paid overtime for two years
Subaru Corp. on Friday said it did not pay overtime wages over a two-year period to some 3,400 employees who underreported their hours, a revelation that surfaced in an internal probe following the 2016 suicide of an overworked employee. The automaker, known for its Legacy ...
National Dec 27, 2017
Nomura unit told to end abuse of work system that forced hundreds to engage in unpaid overtime
The Tokyo Labor Bureau has advised Nomura Real Estate Development Co. to take corrective measures against its abuse of a discretionary work system that forced hundreds of employees to work unpaid overtime, the bureau and other sources said Tuesday. The advisory was issued Monday, and ...
National Nov 27, 2017
Nominees announced for Japan's sixth annual Black Company Awards
by Magdalena Osumi
Hollywood's bad-film awards are not much more than a joke. But the nominees for Japan's Most Evil Corporation of the Year Award, also known as the Black Company Award, highlighting the ugly side of corporate Japan and its culture, have nothing to laugh about. A group ...
Film / Reviews Jun 7, 2017
'To Each His Own': Every wage slave needs a friend like this, but who is he?
by Mark Schilling
Izuru Narushima's "To Each His Own" is a serious treatment of the theme of "black companies" that flirts with fantasy in its first half but shades to heart-warming melodrama in its second.
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Apr 8, 2017
Japan suffers from the grand illusion of prosperity
by Michael Hoffman
There are so many reasons to hate your job, if you're lucky enough to have one. The top four, according to Spa! magazine, are: stagnant salaries; a sense of being underappreciated and underevaluated; an overriding, unfocused anxiety; and a lost sense of purpose. Sixteen additional ...
National / Social Issues Dec 23, 2016
Ad giant Dentsu declared Most Evil Corporation of the Year
by Daisuke Kikuchi
Advertising giant Dentsu Inc. has won the Most Evil Corporation of the Year Award in recognition of its culture of overwork and harassment, journalists and rights activists announce.
National / Social Issues | Q&A Dec 23, 2016
Overwork deaths put spotlight on Japan's 'black companies'
by Daisuke Kikuchi
The Japanese have no clear term to describe the concept of work-life balance, but they do have one to describe the notion of dying for your company: karoshi. Karoshi made headlines around the world this year after the suicide of a Dentsu Inc. employee was ...
National / Media | DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN Dec 3, 2016
Working harder to end death by overwork
by Jake Adelstein
"When you're in the office 20 hours a day, you don't understand what life you're living for anymore. (It's so pathetic) you come to laugh." — Twitter post by Matsuri Takahashi, as reported in the Mainichi Shimbun A week after the above message, Matsuri ...
National / Social Issues Dec 1, 2016
Shady work practices earn nominations for Black Company Award
by Tomoko Otake
Ad giant Dentsu Inc. and courier company Sagawa Express Co., where employees committed suicide, were among this year’s nominees.
Commentary / Japan Nov 28, 2016
Despite legislation, danger of exploiting foreign workers remains
by Walt Gardner
Rather than relying on foreign "trainees" to compensate for labor shortages, Japan should establish apprenticeship programs to give citizens needed skills.
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Apr 2, 2016
Job-hunting students may be in for a shock when they arrive at their new company
by Philip Brasor
It's spring, and the attention of journalists in Japan turns to new university graduates who will soon become productive members of society. In recent years, the recruitment dance has merited closer scrutiny. Even as the labor situation has become a seller's market, issues persist ...