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Top managers ordered to pay for employee’s death from overwork
The operator of major restaurant chain Nihonkai Shoya and its four top managers were ordered Tuesday to pay about 78.6 million yen in damages to the parents of an employee who the court recognized as having died of overwork in 2007. The decision by the Kyoto District Court was the first to find the top…
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Immigrants can buoy Japan
Japan is unique among economies that are highly developed and in demographic decline in having so few immigrants. In fact, even European states that are in much better demographic condition also have large numbers of foreigners and recently naturalized citizens in their labor force. The domestic economic advantages of a more open immigration policy are…
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Telling the other side of the Geos story
Thank you very much for printing the story regarding the Geos bankruptcy. As a former Geos teacher, I was glad to see that you told the other side of the story, as other media had made it appear that there weren’t any problems because G.communication had taken over the company in advance. This is not…
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Labour Ministry: Wages fell 3.3% in FY2009
According to a report released today by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, wages in Japan fell 3.3% to 315,311 yen per month in fiscal 2009. This is the strongest drop seen since the ministry began issuing data in 1991, while 2009 was the third consecutive year in which average wages fell in Japan…
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Inmates on hunger strike in Japan immigration centre
Scores of foreigners in a Japanese immigration detention centre have been on hunger strike for more than a week, demanding to be released and protesting the mysterious death of an African deportee. Some 70 detainees — many of them Sri Lankans and Pakistanis — have refused food since May 10, also seeking to highlight suicides…
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National health insurance a basic universal safety net
HEALTH INSURANCE All Japanese citizens are required by law to be covered by public health insurance. Because of this universal system, most medical treatment is covered and the costs are reasonable. The first health insurance law took effect in 1927 to protect laborers, and in 1938 the umbrella was extended to farmers, according to the…
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Is Japan becoming more insular?
With so much talk of globalization, it might seem counterintuitive to suggest that Japan is turning inward, but that’s what some have concluded. Take Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, where the local government last year made what seemed like a coldhearted offer to Latin American immigrants: It would pay them to go back home — as long…
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Bar association supports woman’s claim that prefecture denied her promotions due to gender
A bar association here has found the Gunma Prefectural Government’s reluctance to promote a female employee to a higher position to be discriminatory and made a request to the government office to improve its promotion practices. The request was made Thursday by the human-rights committee of the Gunma Bar Association. According to the committee, it…
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Beard ban sparks controversy
The Isesaki city government has stirred controversy with an edict to public servants not to grow beards. In a notice distributed to city workers Tuesday, Isesaki city said the ban was placed because some citizens find facial hair “unpleasant.” The notice, aimed to inform workers of the start Wednesday of the summer “Cool Biz” campaign…
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Economy picks up despite deflation
The economy grew at its fastest pace in three quarters as an export surge prompted companies to increase capital spending even as the nation endures persistent deflation at home. Gross domestic product rose 4.9 percent pace in the first three months of 2010 at an annual rate, less than forecast, a Cabinet Office report showed…