Abstract
Japanese society uses the term of “power harassment” to designate psychological harassment or bullying. Because a lot of incident are reported, Japanese government decided to implement measures. But even if the Japanese Authorities concern about power harassment, there is a striking lack of legislation on this issue. Discussions started on the definition of power harassment that produced many debates. The solution maybe would come from the courts. In the same time, a definition of power harassment in Japan and eventually legislate need to take into account specific features of Japanese corporate culture.
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Notes
- 1.
Interview with Mme Yasuko Okada, Tokyo, 14 September 2012, in the context of the ANR young researcher programme: “A comparative approach to psychosocial risks at work. The approach of French and foreign systems (Southern and Northern Europe, Canada, Japan)” (COMPARISK).
- 2.
See Hirigoyen M.-F., Le harcèlement moral. La violence perverse au quotidien, ed. Syros, Coll. Pocket, 1998, 252 p.; Hirigoyen M.-F., Malaise dans le travail. Harcèlement moral. Démêler le vrais du faux, ed. Syros, 2001, 290 p.
- 3.
See Lerouge L., Risques psychosociaux et système japonais de prévention des risques au travail, Report on research residency at the Global Centre of Excellence (GCOE), Institute of Social Sciences, University of Tokyo, ANR COMPARISK programme, 2012, comptrasec.u-bordeaux4.fr/sites/default/files/pdf_book/RapportCOMPARISK_Japon.pdf, 59 p.
- 4.
Interview with Yasuko Okada, above.
- 5.
Kanta Owada et al., “Issues of Workplace Harassment and Role of Citizen Groups in Japan”, 8 th International Conference on Workplace Bullying and Harassment, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 13–15 June 2012. Faculty of Social Sciences, Denmark, June 13–15, 2012.
- 6.
Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association, Power Harassment no Jittai ni kansuru Chōsa Kenkyū Hōkokusho (Report on the current situation concerning power harassment), March 2005, p. 13.
- 7.
Power Harassment Study Group, CuoreC3, Co., Ltd., Shokuba no Power Harassment Taisaku Torikumi Jōkyō ni kansuru Jittai Chōsa Hōkokusho (Report on the current situation concerning measures for power harassment at work), March 2011, p. 15.
- 8.
Statistics from the MHLW available on the website: www.mhlw.go.jp/english/database/.
- 9.
Naito S., “Workplace Bullying in Japan”, JILPT Report n° 12/2013 - Workplace Bullying and Harassment - 2013 JILPT Seminar on Workplace Bullying and Harassment, 2013, pp. 113–133.
- 10.
Act on Securing, Etc. of Equal Opportunity and Treatment between Men and Women in Employment, according to the translation proposed by Japanese ministry of justice, http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?vm=04&re=01&id=60.
- 11.
Ibid.
- 12.
Interview with Professor Masahiro Machida, University of Kyushu, Faculty of Law, Fukuoka, 18 September 2012, in the context of the ANR young researcher programme, COMPARISK.
- 13.
See the guide to best practice on prevention and the promotion of mental health at work, published in 2000 and updated in 2006 as well as 2017 by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, http://www.mhlw.go.jp/topics/bukyoku/roudou/an-eihou/dl/060331-2.pdf.
- 14.
Naito S., “Workplace Bullying in Japan”, above.
- 15.
Lerouge L., “Les risques psychosociaux au travail à la loupe du droit social japonais”, above.
- 16.
See the criterion for the recognition of occupational psychological diseases as well as the liste of the possibles causes of these diseases, decided and published by MHLW. http://www.mhlw.go.jp/bunya/roudoukijun/rousaihoken04/dl/120215-01.pdf.
- 17.
Ibid.
- 18.
Interview with Maître Yohei Suda, labour lawyer, Tokyo, 31 July 2012, in the context of the ANR young researcher programme, COMPARISK.
- 19.
The Japan Insitutute for Labour Policy and Training (JILPT) is working on this issue, particularly via comparative research directed by Shino Naito, V. JILPT Report n° 12/2013 - Workplace Bullying and Harassment - 2013 JILPT Seminar on Workplace Bullying and Harassment, 2013, 189 p.
- 20.
Tokyo District Court, 15 Oct. 2007, p. 60, early Dec., n° 1661 “Labour Law 10 Day Report”, Tokyo High Court, 25 March 2003; Tokyo High Court, 20 avr. 2005; Osaka District Court, 15 July 2005; Kyoto District Court, 8 Aug. 2006; Osaka District Court, 12 Nov. 2007.
- 21.
The University of Tokyo Institute of Social Science, Rōdō Shinpan Seido ni tsuite no Ishiki Chōsa Kihon Hōkokusho (Report on the survey on the role of labour tribunals), October 2011, p. 111.
- 22.
Naito S., “Workplace Bullying in Japan”, above.
- 23.
MHLW, Enforcement Status of Individual Labour Dispute Resolution System, 2012 (came into force on 31 May 2013).
- 24.
Naito S., “Workplace Bullying in Japan”, above.
- 25.
Interview with M. Kenta Kawase, Tokyo, 17 August 2012, power harassment division, MHLW, in the context of the ANR young researcher programme “A comparative approach to psychosocial risks at work. The approach of French and foreign systems (Southern and Northern Europe, Canada, Japan)”(COMPARISK).
- 26.
- 27.
Risques psychosociaux et système japonais de prévention des risques au travail, Report on research residency at the Global Centre of Excellence (GCOE), Institute of Social Sciences, University of Tokyo, programme ANR COMPARISK, 2012, 59 p. comptrasec.u-bordeaux4.fr/sites/default/files/pdf_book/RapportCOMPARISK_Japon.pdf.
- 28.
- 29.
Lerouge L., “Les risques psychosociaux au travail à la loupe du droit social japonais”, above.
- 30.
Ibid.
- 31.
Interview with M. Kenta Kawase, above.
- 32.
Lerouge L., Risques psychosociaux et système japonais de prévention des risques au travail, above.
- 33.
Kanta Owada et al., “Issues of Workplace Harassment and Role of Citizen Groups in Japan”, above.
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Lerouge, L., Naito, S. (2017). Bullying and Law in Japan. In: Lerouge, L. (eds) Psychosocial Risks in Labour and Social Security Law. Aligning Perspectives on Health, Safety and Well-Being. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63065-6_14
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