The Supreme Court's decision Friday upholding a lower court conclusion that an employer bore responsibility for its employee's suicide is a stamp of approval on a ruling that has led to revisions of labor administration policies.
Advertising giant Dentsu Inc. was held liable for it's 24-year-old employee's suicide, which the court ruled was triggered by overwork. The landmark case has led the government to revise the criteria for granting compensation for work-related accidents.
The ruling's history goes back to March 1996, when the Tokyo District Court recognized that the company had legal responsibility for Ichiro Oshima's suicide.