Tag - harassment

 
 

HARASSMENT

Cadets at the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Kure Recruit Training Center row in unison during a cutter boat drill in Kure Bay, Hiroshima Prefecture, in June.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Jul 29, 2024
MSDF’s Kure base faces recruitment challenges as youngsters shy away
The stressful nature of service and an increasing likelihood of actual combat are causing many to opt for other careers.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito holds a news conference on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2024
Another Hyogo official dies after allegations against governor
The employee is the second person to die since a document on Saito’s allegations surfaced. The creator, a senior Hyogo official, also died in an apparent suicide.
A housing exhibition like the one worked at by a Polus employee in Chiba Prefecture who died by suicide in 2020 following harassment by a customer.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 24, 2024
Customer harassment caused Chiba worker's suicide, labor office says
After explaining to a customer who was building a new house that additional costs were required, the employee began facing relentless complaints from him.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito speaks to reporters on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 16, 2024
Hyogo governor stands firm on not resigning despite official's death
Gov. Motohiko Saito said he has "responded within the necessary scope" of his duties in relation to allegations of power harassment against him.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito bows at a news conference at the prefectural government office in Kobe on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 13, 2024
Hyogo vice governor to resign over death of prefectural official
Vice Gov. Yasutaka Katayama's resignation comes after the death of an official who distributed a document about alleged harassment by Gov. Motohiko Saito.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito holds a news conference at the Hyogo prefectural office on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2024
Hyogo governor refuses to resign after union complaint
Motohiko Saito's refusal came in the wake of the sudden death of a prefectural official who created a document accusing him of wrongdoing.
In a recently released report, a U.N. group has urged Japanese companies to draw up policies vowing to fulfill their responsibility in protecting human rights.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2024
U.N. voices concern over rights violations in Japan workplaces
While noting "important advancements" on the issue, a report expressed concerns about difficulties in addressing deeply embedded harmful gender and social norms.
People stand outside the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court, where #MeToo activist Huang Xueqin and labor activist Wang Jianbing were sentenced, in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jun 14, 2024
Chinese #MeToo activist sentenced to five years in prison, supporters say
Sophia Huang Xueqin wrote on social media about her experience of workplace sexual harassment as a young journalist.
Artificial chemical scents that come from things like perfume or fabric softener can cause discomfort or even sickness for some individuals.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 7, 2024
Scents and sensitivity: Understanding ‘smell pollution’ in Japan
In the country's crowded urban areas, it is important to be aware of how your deodorant, perfume or fabric softener can affect others.
ANA Holdings has revised its customer service guidelines to include how to respond to various types of harassment of employees by customers.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2024
Labor group calls for measures to address harassment from customers
One survey of about 33,000 workers showed that 46.8% had experienced so-called customer harassment in the past two years.
Ashwani Gupta, then-chief operating officer of Nissan, in April 2023
BUSINESS / Companies
May 31, 2024
Nissan paid ex-COO $3.7 million to quit after sexual harassment claims
Ashwani Gupta's compensation figure for leaving the company is now public in a notice of the annual shareholders’ meeting, which showed he will also receive allowances.
Tomohide Miyata, who became Eneos Holding's CEO in April
BUSINESS / Companies
May 31, 2024
Eneos seeks female directors in wake of harassment scandals
Japan's top oil refiner has nominated four women and seven outside directors to be elected by shareholders to a smaller 10-seat board.
Martin Gruenberg, chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), speaks during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in Washington on May 16.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2024
FDIC chair says he’ll step down after toxic workplace report
The chair faced mounting pressure to quit following a scathing report that detailed allegations of harassment and discrimination at the bank regulator during his tenure.
The proportion of recent graduates in Japan who have worked as interns have experienced sexual harassment during their internship was 30.1%, according to a labor ministry survey, up 4.6 percentage points from the previous survey in fiscal 2020.
JAPAN / Society
May 18, 2024
Japan survey finds 30% of student interns experience sexual harassment
The proportion of such respondents was 30.1%, up 4.6 percentage points from the previous survey in fiscal 2020.
SoftBank is working to develop artificial intelligence-enabled software that softens the tone of customers' voices.
BUSINESS
May 16, 2024
SoftBank looks at 'softening' angry customer calls with AI
The issue of harassment of staff working in the service industry has gained more awareness in recent years.
East Japan Railway has set out a strict policy of not yielding to unreasonable demands from customers. The government and ruling parties are considering a labor law revision to strengthen measures against "customer harassment."
JAPAN / Politics
May 14, 2024
Japan mulls legislation against customer harassment
46.8% of union members said they had experienced customer harassment in the past two years, according to a survey this year by UA Zensen.
Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers participate in a seminar to prevent harassment at the GSDF's Camp Asaka in Tokyo on April 16.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 13, 2024
Japan's military needs more women. But it's still failing on harassment.
Nine months after the Defense Ministry pledged to take drastic measures, it has no plans to implement a national system for reviewing training standards.
A Towa Bank employee's suicide in 2017 has been recognized as a work-related accident.
JAPAN / Society
May 8, 2024
Towa Bank employee suicide linked to overwork and harassment
Findings from the Labor Standards Inspection Office showed the man was under extreme stress due to unmanageable work pressures.
“Customer harassment” — in which customers harass front-line workers with aggressive behavior or unreasonable requests — has become a growing problem in the service industry.
JAPAN / Society
May 2, 2024
Japan steps up measures against 'customer harassment'
A 2022 survey found that 67.5% of respondents had experienced some kind of harassment from customers in the past three years.
JR East says it will not yield to unreasonable demands by customers who harass its employees.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2024
JR East says it will not respond to customer harassment
According to the policy, the company will not respond to customers who engage in harassment, such as physically or psychologically attacking employees.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’