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‘Inappropriate remarks’ criticized
Nariaki Nakayama’s controversial comments drew fire from both the ruling and opposition parties Friday. “As a minister, these were inappropriate remarks. He [Nakayama] must be more careful,” said Yoshio Urushibara, Diet Policy Committee chairman of New Komeito. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080927TDY02306.htm
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Tourism minister apologizes for gaffes
New tourism minister Nariaki Nakayama wasted no time putting his foot in it. The day after stating that Japanese do not like foreigners and that the country is ethnically homogeneous, Nakayama apologized Friday and retracted his statements. “I am sorry for having caused trouble to the people,” the land, infrastructure, transport and tourism minister told…
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Gaffes by minister put Aso in a bind
Barely 48 hours into the new administration, Prime Minister Taro Aso was facing his first crisis Friday with calls for the dismissal of transport minister Nariaki Nakayama over a stream of verbal gaffes. When asked about what Japan should do to promote tourism, Nakayama said, “Japan is a very inward-looking nation, you could say it…
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Foreign contract workers to sue Kubota over status
About 10 foreign contract employees of major machinery manufacturer Kubota Corp. have decided to file a group lawsuit against the company claiming their employment status is unjustifiable and the company should continue to employ them after their contract expires next April, it has been learned. In February 2006, the Osaka-based firm was warned that factory…
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Panel pushes new temp work rules
To better protect temporary workers, staffing firms should be banned from dispatching registered workers for day work or employment periods of 30 days or less, a subcommittee of the Labor Policy Council advised the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry on Wednesday. The panel also said the government should be allowed to recommend companies to directly…
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Will open-door immigration plan die after Fukuda?
The hope was provided by a group of lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party who drafted a bold proposal to create a new immigration policy that would raise the population of foreigners in Japan to 10 percent of the overall population in the next 50 years. The proposal was handed to Prime Minister Yasuo…
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Number of foreign workers at Japanese firms leaps over previous figures
Back in March of 2007, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare reported that the number of foreigners working at Japanese firms had hit a record high of 222,929 at the end of May 2006. Looking at the growth in figures at the time, it seemed reasonable to assume that the number of foreigners working…
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Employers told to scam pensions
SIA worker admits having firms low-ball required premium levels The scandal-hit Social Insurance Agency admitted Tuesday that a staff member had instructed companies falling short on premiums for the government-run pension program to falsely claim their employees’ monthly incomes were lower so the firms could pay less. Corporate subscribers to the pension scheme must pay…
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Convenience stores, chain restaurants warned about unpaid overtime
Over 80 percent of managers at convenience stores and chain restaurants that had labor problems in the past are forced to work long hours without corresponding overtime pay, a government survey has found. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which conducted the survey, has issued a warning to convenience stores and chain restaurants to…
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Standards set for ‘name-only’ store managers
The labor ministry on Tuesday signaled its intention to scrutinize companies that appoint workers as store managers to avoid paying overtime, while giving them little or no managerial authority. The practice is especially widespread in the restaurant and retail sectors where many so-called managers are required to work long hours. The Ministry of Health, Labor…