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November 22, 2024
 

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Hifumi Okunuki

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Hifumi Okunuki
Hifumi Okunuki teaches at Sagami Women’s University and serves as the executive president of Tozen Union (Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union). She can be reached at [email protected]. On the second Thursday of the month, Hifumi looks at cases in Japan’s legal history to illustrate important principles in labor law.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Nov 27, 2016
'Five-year rule' triggers 'Tohoku college massacre' of jobs
I have discussed the "five-year rule" several times before in this column — the revision of the Labor Contract Law (Rodo Keiyaku Ho) enacted in 2013. Under the amendment, any worker employed on serial fixed-term contracts (yūki koyō) for more than five years can give themselves permanent status....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Oct 23, 2016
Time to consign 'death by overwork' to Japan's history
As 'karoshi' continues to steal young lives, workers must stand up for their own rights and watch out for their colleagues' wellbeing.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Sep 25, 2016
Sagamihara massacre begs question: Do we want a society that only values usefulness?
The twisted thinking behind Japan's worst postwar massacre may have its roots in the way the modern world teaches us to judge the worth of others.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Aug 21, 2016
The flip side of coveted public-sector jobs in Japan: fewer rights
Laws restrict government workers' constitutional rights to organize, bargain and take collective action.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jul 24, 2016
A week’s worth of questions about paid leave
This month, a week of questions about paid leave. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the issue, and their answers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jun 26, 2016
'Same work, same pay' goal may spark a race to the bottom
Without details on how to bridge the chasm that divides irregular and regular workers, PM Abe's target is hot air.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
May 22, 2016
Do Japan's porn actresses and actors have labor rights?
An engrossing five-hour defense of the adult-movie business by its practitioners fails to tell the full story.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Mar 27, 2016
Bearded train driver, out-of-pocket teacher and CV faker: How would they fare in court?
A look at three shiny new news items from the gossip columns that take on a different sheen when examined under the piercing light of labor law.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Feb 29, 2016
'Landmark' ruling sent Japan's foreign residents back to welfare limbo
Widely misunderstood 2014 case reaffirmed the decades-old stopgap that means noncitizens can receive support but can't appeal if their application is rejected.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jan 24, 2016
Graduates needn't be hostages to advance contracts
For university seniors who have pledged to work for a firm after graduation, although there is no legal compulsion, there is social and ethical pressure not to back out of the deal.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Dec 27, 2015
Japan's culture and courts need to get with the program on overtime
Practice and precedent fly in the face of government slogans about achieving 'work-life balance' and reducing Japan's excessively long work hours.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Nov 29, 2015
Lessons in Japan's labor laws from striking NPB baseball stars and English teachers
What do Nichibei Eigo Gakuin teachers in 2000, pro baseball players in 2004 and Berlitz language instructors in 2007 have in common?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Oct 25, 2015
In Japan, adultery can cost you your job as well as your marriage
Companies must be able to prove that specific damage has been done to their business if they want to fire cheating workers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Sep 27, 2015
Legal change will make temp purgatory permanent for many Japanese workers
Eight years ago, a TV drama about temporary workers generated a great deal of excitement around Japan. In "Haken no Hinkaku" ("Dignity of a Temp"), model-actress-singer Ryoko Shinohara played Haruko Omae, a "super-temp" who masterfully tackled the myriad troubles that arose in her ¥3,000-an-hour job....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Aug 30, 2015
Should SEALDs student activists worry about not getting hired?
Japanese labor law effectively allows companies to discriminate against prospective employees based on their beliefs.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jul 26, 2015
Three amigos on a mission to protect your rights
The only people who tend to know what I'm talking about when I say the words "labor relations commission" are unionists, labor or corporate lawyers and labor-law scholars. These panels are government enforcement bodies that lack the glamour and fame of the courts, the cops and even the Labor Standards...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jun 28, 2015
Has striking in Japan become extinct?
"Strike." Dear reader, what do you think when you hear this word? What impression do you get? Do you see the blood, sweat and tears? Do you see an angry, vicious mob disturbing our civil society? I bet a majority of Japanese people under the age of 40 have neither a positive nor negative impression of...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
May 24, 2015
Society helps sustain Japan's sordid sexual trade in schoolgirls
When you hear the expression "JK business," do you have any idea what kind of work this refers to? JK stands for joshi kōsei (high school girls). In Japan, JK is a very powerful brand — and high school girls are a highly valued commodity.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Apr 26, 2015
'Zero Overtime Bill' is the thin end of the wedge for workers' rights
Although you may feel this amendment to the Labor Standards Law has nothing to do with you, the net will be cast wider and before you know it we will all be caught up in it.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Mar 25, 2015
Japan sees progress on sexual harassment, but some still don't get it
On the one hand we have the legal framework to tackle sexual harassment. On the other, awareness of the issue remains sorely lacking.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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