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23-yr dispute over JR’s refusal to hire union workers to be settled
Representatives of union workers decided Friday to accept a proposal in which the government would pay each worker roughly 22 million yen, bringing to an end a 23-year-old dispute over the refusal of Japan Railway companies to hire them. The ruling parties and the opposition New Komeito party presented the roughly 20 billion yen settlement…
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The ALT Scam
Cross-posted from the Fukuoka General Union. Throughout Japan Boards of Education have been moving away from the JET program in favour of outsourcing ALT jobs to dispatch companies. In Fukuoka it has come to the point that most BOEs subcontract out their work. This page is aimed to shed some light on the current systems…
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Japan’s rank down in intl sex gap report
Japan’s ranking in a World Economic Forum report on the equality of the sexes was recently revised down 26 places to 101st among 134 nations, reflecting objections raised by a Japanese women’s organization and others about the initial assessment made in October. The reassessment by the Geneva-based forum in its annual Gender Gap Report left…
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Ministers mull settlement for JNR unionists
Transport minister Seiji Maehara said he and two other Cabinet ministers finalized a plan to settle a 23-year-old dispute over the refusal by Japan Railway companies to hire unionized workers from the former national railway. Maehara said that he, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Naoto Kan and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano held talks…
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Japan, U.N. share blind spot on ‘migrants’
I wish to speak about the treatment of those of “foreign” origin and appearance in Japan, such as white and non-Asian people. Simply put, we are not officially registered — or even counted sometimes — as genuine residents. We are not treated as taxpayers, not protected as consumers, not seen as ethnicities even in the…
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‘Non-Japanese only’ Okinawa eatery turns tables
Jon Mitchell explores why one restaurateur has effectively banned Japanese patrons Okinawa Prefecture is home to three-quarters of America’s military bases in Japan. The vast majority of these, including Kadena Air Base, Torii Station and the contentious Marine Corps installation at Futenma, are located in the central part of the main island. Despite overwhelming Okinawan…
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Migrant children struggle in public schools
With the recession taking a particularly heavy toll on migrant communities, many schools for children of Japanese-Brazilian and other backgrounds have closed their doors after struggling through falling enrollments and nonpayment of fees. The closures have forced many children of migrants to enter the public school system, a daunting prospect for those whose entire schooling…
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Group: Hunger strike worked
Supporters of inmates held at the Nishi-Nihon Japan Immigration Center said a hunger strike in March has led to more provisional releases for those with health problems. But immigration center officials denied any connection between the hunger strike and the provisional releases. About 70 male inmates began a hunger strike March 8, demanding that those…
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Japanese firms adopt a global appearance
With overseas markets increasingly seen as the key to their survival, Japanese companies are adopting a more “international” look at home involving changes that would have been unheard of years ago. [A few] long-held practices in hiring have been scrapped, as have [some] limits on positions available to non-Japanese at the companies’ head offices in…
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Woman to sue Casio for wrongful dismissal after claiming harassment by boss
A former temporary employee of Casio Computer Co. is set to file a lawsuit against the company over wrongful termination after she protested a series of harassment incidents by her superior, it has been learned. The 33-year-old former temporary worker with the Tokyo-based electronic device manufacturer will file a case against the company and its…