Tag - labor

 
 

LABOR

The Sado Gold Mine, so heavily tapped that the mountain bearing it has been cleaved in two, is up for consideration for UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site status.
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2024
Japan should display full history of Sado mine, South Korean archaeologist says
He will not advise the South Korean UNESCO delegation against accepting the designation of the mine if Japan explains its history properly.
A tunnel inside the Sado Island Gold Mines in Sado, Niigata Prefecture
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2024
South Korea to accept Sado Gold Mines as World Heritage site
The International Council on Monuments and Sites urged Japan to provide visitors with information on all mining periods at the site.
Inspectors at the Kanto District Transport Bureau in Yokohama make calls to companies to check on the working conditions in the logistics industry earlier this month.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 25, 2024
Japan's 'truck G-Men' issued guidance over 700 times in first year
The government inspectors check on working conditions in the logistics sector and monitor cases involving violations until the causes are resolved.
The Sado Gold Mine, so heavily tapped that the mountain bearing it has been cleaved in two, is up for consideration for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 20, 2024
Land of punishment, land of gold
The Sado Gold Mine may soon become Japan’s newest UNESCO World Heritage site, but the island’s history is much more complicated than a single tourist destination.
The North Korean flag flutters at the North Korea consular office in Dandong, China, on April 20, 2021.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 17, 2024
'Shocking': U.N. report details North Korea's widespread forced labor
In a damning report, the U.N. rights office detailed how people in North Korea have been "controlled and exploited."
The number of construction workers in Japan stood at 4.83 million in 2023, down by more than 2 million from the peak of 6.85 million in 1997.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2024
Amid labor shortages, Japanese builders urged to improve conditions
The government is advocating wage increases and the full implementation of a five-day workweek.
The Shein logo on hangers at a pop-up store in Dublin on Nov. 8, 2022
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 13, 2024
Shein steers tough course in pursuit of blockbuster London IPO
Both of the U.K.’s major political parties have met with Shein leaders, according to reports, though neither has come out in support publicly.
The Fair Trade Commission in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 12, 2024
Hashimoto Sogyo inspected over nonpayment of overtime
The antimonopoly law prohibits the abuse of a shipper's dominant position over an operator.
The Dior investigation focused on four suppliers employing 32 staff who worked in the surroundings of Milan, two of whom were immigrants in the country illegally while another seven worked without the required documentation.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2024
LVMH's unit put under court administration in Italy over labor exploitation
A probe alleged that the Italian subsidiary, which makes Dior-branded handbags, had subcontracted work to Chinese-owned firms that mistreated workers.
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 1. Wyden has been investigating links between carmakers and forced labor in China.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2024
U.S. Senate probe finds forced labor ties in automakers' imports
The report said BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen had used components from a Chinese supplier banned in the U.S.
East Japan Railway has set out a strict policy of not yielding to unreasonable demands from customers. The government and ruling parties are considering a labor law revision to strengthen measures against "customer harassment."
JAPAN / Politics
May 14, 2024
Japan mulls legislation against customer harassment
46.8% of union members said they had experienced customer harassment in the past two years, according to a survey this year by UA Zensen.
Japan Post CEO Tetsuya Senda (right) and his Seino Transportation counterpart Satoshi Takahashi announce their companies' agreement on joint long-haul truck operations, in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 10, 2024
Japan's logistics firms seek partnerships to cope with driver shortage
Japan Post and Seino Transportation have reached a basic agreement to work together on joint long-haul truck operations.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Hiroshima in May 2023. Yoon's focus on mending ties with Japan since he took office has seen relations recover from what officials and experts said was the worst since the two countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1965.
JAPAN / Politics
May 10, 2024
Japan-South Korea ties remain on rocky ground over history
The possibility of disagreements over wartime labor in particular poses a constant threat to the dramatically improved relations built up in recent years.
A Towa Bank employee's suicide in 2017 has been recognized as a work-related accident.
JAPAN / Society
May 8, 2024
Towa Bank employee suicide linked to overwork and harassment
Findings from the Labor Standards Inspection Office showed the man was under extreme stress due to unmanageable work pressures.
Workers on the production line at a cotton textile factory in Korla, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China, on April 1, 2021
BUSINESS
May 8, 2024
Banned Chinese cotton found in 19% of U.S. and global retailers' merchandise, study shows
The U.S. enacted a law in 2021 to safeguard its market from products potentially tainted by human rights abuses in Xinjiang, a major cotton producer.
A news conference is held following a settlement being reached in a labor tribunal proceeding in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
May 7, 2024
Nondisclosure issue a lingering problem in Japan labor cases
One worker in Osaka Prefecture is contesting a nondisclosure clause that was added to her labor tribunal case's resolution against her will.
The plaintiff in the case against Mizuho Bank had sought about ¥33 million in damages, including wages he should have received.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 24, 2024
Mizuho ordered to pay ¥3.3 million to ex-employee over labor dispute
The bank had — citing problematic behavior — told him to stay home at reduced pay without any work for five years.
A recent decision by a labor office marks a rare case in which a work-related illness has been officially attributed to remote work.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2024
Yokohama remote worker awarded compensation for work-related mental disorder
The woman developed an adjustment disorder from working overtime excessively, clocking over 100 hours a month in the months leading to her diagnosis.
Under the revised labor standards law, annual overtime will be capped at 960 hours for truck drivers and 720 hours for construction workers.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2024
New work-style reform measures kick off in Japan
It is feared the new caps will cause shortages of workers, making it difficult to maintain services.
Those who are planning to move to new homes are finding themselves either struggling to make a reservation or facing increasingly higher costs.
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2024
Japan's moving companies struggle to meet demand amid driver shortage
Charges have increased, even doubled, during the March-April peak moving season as a regulation capping overtime hours for drivers kicks in.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals