Chubu Electric Power Employee's Suicide, Workers' Accident Recognized; Nagoya High Court Reverses Court Decision

The mother of Yosuke Suzuki, 26, who worked at the Mie Branch of Chubu Electric Power Company, committed suicide in 2010 because of power harassment and overwork, including abusive language from his supervisor. The Nagoya High Court on March 25 reversed the ruling of the first trial court, which had dismissed the claim, and rescinded the decision by the Tsu Labor Standards Inspection Office.

The Nagoya District Court ruling in the first instance stated that there was no evidence to support his mother's claims of verbal abuse, such as "Is this how you graduated from university? " or "We don't need you." However, High Court Judge Yasuhiro Hasegawa, in his ruling, found that Mr. Suzuki's friend had testified that there had been verbal abuse. The judge found that the verbal abuse was "beyond the scope of work guidance and constituted a denial of his character and humanity.

He also pointed out that the supervisor did not provide sufficient explanation or guidance to Mr. Suzuki, a new employee who did not understand how to proceed with a difficult task. It is clear that the psychological burden was strong overall, and the onset of the mental disorder and the suicide were attributed to the work.

At a press conference in Nagoya City, the mother said, "It proved how hard Yosuke's work was with the help of various people. I am really happy for him."

Tsu Labor Standards Bureau's Deputy Chief commented, "We would like to make a decision after reviewing the content of the ruling and consulting with the relevant authorities. Chubu Electric Power said, "We are aware of the court decision, but since we are not a party to the lawsuit, we refrain from commenting on it."

According to the ruling, Mr. Suzuki joined the company in April 2010. After being assigned to the Mie Branch, he developed a mental disorder and committed suicide in October of the same year. His mother applied for workers' compensation, but the Tsu Labor Standards Bureau denied his claim in 2002.

(Kyodo News)

the Embassy of Canada in Tokyo does not have employment insurance

On April 1, it was revealed that the Embassy of Canada in Tokyo does not have employment insurance, which is required by Japanese law, and that a female employee in her 30s who was hired in Japan and gave birth in Japan is not receiving childcare leave benefits under her employment insurance. She is also not covered by the Canadian social security system.

The General Union (Osaka), a labor union to which the women belong, pointed out that this constitutes an unfair labor practice, and will soon file a petition for relief with the Osaka Labor Relations Commission, demanding that the women join unemployment insurance and hold collective bargaining sessions.

According to the labor union, similar problems are also occurring at embassies and consulates in other countries. It is believed that this is due to the widespread misunderstanding that Japanese laws do not apply to such cases, and the compliance of each country is being questioned.

She is feeling discouraged, saying that they are being neglected, even though their embassy is in a country that values diversity and women's advancement in society.

A spokesperson for the Embassy of Canada responded to the interview, "The terms and conditions of employment for locally hired (Japanese) employees take into account Japanese standards and practices, and we offer benefits comparable to the Japanese system.