NEWSWORTHY
Support for working women growing in Japan, but smaller companies lag behind
Programs to support women in the workforce are expanding in Japan, nearly three years after the enactment of a new law aimed at making the country's business environment more female-friendly. The law took partial effect in September 2015 and came into full force in April ...
Immigration raids in Nebraska and Minnesota target businesses, some linked to abuses
A large federal law enforcement operation conducted Wednesday targeted businesses in Nebraska and Minnesota that officials say knowingly hired — and mistreated — immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. The investigative arm of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement — Homeland Security Investigations — led ...
Job perks on rise in Japan as labor crunch reshapes how companies attract workers
Misaki Harada wants to quit her job as a receptionist at a restaurant management company in Tokyo and move into marketing for an apparel-maker. But the 24-year-old said she wanted more than just a bigger paycheck. Her next employer would need to improve her quality ...
Ministry report calls for work-style reforms in bid to cut teachers' overtime
The education ministry vowed Friday to promote work style reform at schools in order to reduce overtime among teachers. The long working hours of teachers "have become so serious that the situation cannot be overlooked," the ministry said in an annual white paper. Overtime among teachers ...
Diet enacts key labor reform that opposition slams as 'karōshi promotion' bill
The bill ushers in a legally binding overtime cap and exempts skilled white-collar employees from work-time regulations.
Many Japanese firms turning to one-day internships to secure new grads
To secure new graduates in buyers' market, an increasing number of companies are introducing one-day internship programs for job-hunting students. This is because Keidanren, (Japan Business Federation), the nation's biggest business lobby, has scrapped the five-day minimum for member firms' internship programs aimed at students ...
Nissan probe finds misuse of foreign trainees at plants in Japan
An internal probe by Nissan Motor Co. has discovered misconduct at its plants over the employment of foreign trainees, including forcing them to perform jobs not sanctioned under a government program, a company official said Wednesday. The internal probe found that 45 interns from Indonesia ...
Japan to promote five-day workweek for construction workers hired for public works projects
The government plans to promote a five-day workweek for construction workers involved in public works projects as part of its work-style reform initiative, informed sources say. Construction workers tend to work more than five days a week because many are under pressure to complete projects ...
Internship organizer faces charges for skimming Vietnamese students' wages
A group that organizes internships for foreign students will likely be investigated for allegedly skimming ¥3 million from the salaries of Vietnamese hospitality workers in Fukui and Ishikawa prefectures.
Ramen chain Ichiran faces charges for allegedly working foreign students longer than permitted
Police are set to refer ramen chain Ichiran and some of its managerial staff to prosecutors this week for allegedly breaking the immigration law by forcing foreign students to work illegally long hours at two stores in Osaka, investigative sources said Monday. Ichiran, founded in ...
Abe administration to remove contentious proposal from draft labor reform bill
The drastic policy compromise appears to be intended to minimize damage ahead of a critical leadership election in September.
