Tag - laws

 
 

LAWS

JAPAN
Oct 31, 2016
Record 5,803 foreign trainees went missing in Japan last year
Observers say this is another sign that the technical intern program — long criticized by rights groups at home and abroad as akin to slavery — is seriously flawed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 26, 2016
Ministry eyes Scandinavian plan to boost paternity leave and keep women working
A panel mulls including a quota system in a two-year parental leave plan that would require paternity leave to join.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 21, 2016
Lower House committee passes bill to shake up Japan's foreign trainee program
The bill is intended to shake up a state-sponsored foreign traineeship program slammed by critics as akin to modern slavery.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 7, 2016
1 in 4 firms in Japan say workers log over 80 overtime hours a month
The nation's first white paper on “karoshi” finds nearly a quarter of companies have employees that are seriously overworked.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Sep 18, 2016
'Same work, same pay' principle doesn't stop at 60
Recently, the Tokyo Public Law Office has seen a surge in inquiries similar to the following:
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 29, 2016
Terror financing laws limited by burden of proof
Last month it was revealed that a Bangladeshi former associate professor at Kyoto's Ritsumeikan University was wanted by police for his suspected involvement in the Dhaka terrorist attack that killed 20 people in a cafe, including seven Japanese. Mohammad Saifullah Ozaki had been teaching business administration...
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
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 21, 2016
Corporations abuse law to slap down workers
A law that started as a good idea has become a menace to free speech, the ability to protect one's reputation and the right to redress in a court of law.
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
Jul 1, 2016
Japan short of 'minimum' standards on human trafficking: U.S. State Department
The U.S. State Department on Friday credited Japan with making "modestly increased" efforts against human trafficking in 2015, including the identification of some labor-trafficking victims for the first time in two decades.
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
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2016
Japan's dispatched ALTs struggle without a safety net
In late March, 65 English assistant language teachers, or ALTs, effectively lost their jobs after dispatch agency Interac lost a contract with the Sapporo Board of Education.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 31, 2016
Study faults Japan for inaction on modern-day slavery
Almost 46 million people are trapped in modern-day slavery, two-thirds of them in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a study released Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 28, 2016
The vagina on trial: more absurd than obscene
Though the obscenity trial of the artist known as Rokudenashiko — real name Megumi Igarashi — ended earlier this month with a conviction on one of her charges, we haven't heard the last of her. She plans to appeal the verdict, which is good news for the press and the public, since few court trials...

Longform

An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it