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Tag - labor-laws

 
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July 24, 2026
 

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LABOR LAWS

Since April 2024, the amount of overtime doctors can perform has been capped at a maximum of 960 hours per year.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Jul 14, 2026
15% of doctors put in over 960 hours of overtime, health ministry survey finds
The results come despite yearslong efforts to address overwork in the medical industry.
People take part in the traditional May Day labor union march in Paris on Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 4, 2026
From Paris on May Day: Rethinking work and solidarity in Japan
May Day came and went last Friday in the City of Light, prompting reflections on its meaning in France compared with Japan.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addresses a May Day event in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2026
Takaichi vows support for wage hikes at May Day event
The prime minister also called for cooperation to achieve ¡°sustained wage hikes that outpace inflation.¡±
Yukimi Takahashi speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in December, held prior to the 10th anniversary of the death of her daughter, Matsuri Takahashi.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society / FOCUS
Apr 1, 2026
Labor officials worry work-style reform progress could backslide
The administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has started discussing a possible easing of working-hour regulations.
The government adopted a bill Friday to support logistics systems that let truck drivers limit work to day trips.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Mar 6, 2026
Government adopts bill to promote drivers¡¯ work-style reform
Under the bill, the government will subsidize the costs of drawing up plans for multiple logistics firms to relay cargo.
A labor ministry survey showed Thursday that 10.5% of workers want to work longer hours, including 0.5% who would want to exceed the 80-hour monthly overtime cap.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Mar 6, 2026
One in 10 Japanese workers want to labor longer, survey shows
Meanwhile, 30.0% hope to reduce their work hours, and 59.5% are satisfied with the status quo, according to the labor ministry survey.
Yukimi Takahashi, the mother of Matsuri Takahashi, who died as a result of overwork, speaks to reporters in front of her daughter's portrait in Tokyo on Dec. 5.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Dec 21, 2025
Mother in Dentsu suicide case opposes any easing of labor laws
The mother has spearheaded efforts to prevent kar¨­shi, including through speaking engagements at schools and labor unions.
According to the latest survey conducted by the labor ministry, Japanese companies' employment rate of workers with disabilities was 2.4%.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2025
Japan firms facing challenge of employing more workers with disabilities
According to the latest survey conducted by the labor ministry, Japanese companies¡¯ employment rate of disabled people was 2.4%.
A Loro Piana SpA luxury clothing store in Milan on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 17, 2025
Italy cracks down on sweatshops supplying Armani and Dior
For a decade, a Chinese tailor toiled in a three-story building on the outskirts of Milan, working 13 hours a day making high-end garments for brands including Italian cashmere label Loro Piana.
The working conditions cited by prosecutors shed light on the differences in wealth between people purchasing luxury goods and many of those making them.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 15, 2025
LVMH¡¯s Loro Piana faces court oversight in Italy labor probe
In some factories, working hours mostly exceeded the 8-hour legal standard, employees slept on shop floors and were paid a fraction of Italy¡¯s legal minimum, prosecutors said.
Shogakukan's office in Tokyo. The Fair Trade Commission issued a warning to Shogakukan and Kobunsha for failing to clearly indicate terms and conditions for freelancers they outsource work to.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 18, 2025
Japan¡¯s FTC gives first warning over freelance law breaches
Shogakukan and Kobunsha, both based in Tokyo, were urged to take preventive measures under the law, which came into effect in November 2024.
Japan has enforced tougher rules on companies to protect workers from heat after 30 workplace deaths and roughly 1,200 injuries were reported last year that were associated with high temperatures.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 2, 2025
Protect workers from heat waves or face fines, Japan tells firms
The revised legislation is a rare global example of a national-level policy on heat safety for employees.
The logo of Jetstar Airways on an aircraft parked outside a maintenance hangar in Melbourne, Australia, on Feb. 27.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Apr 22, 2025
Jetstar Japan fined for failing to provide adequate cabin crew breaks
This is the first time a ruling has been handed down in Japan regarding flight attendants¡¯ rest time, according to the plaintiffs.
A construction site in Tokyo in July 2018. Businesses failing to take measures to prevent severe heatstroke among employees will be subjected to criminal punishment from June.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Science & Health
Mar 13, 2025
Japan to get tough on businesses not taking heatstroke countermeasures
Violators will be punishable with up to six months¡¯ imprisonment or a maximum fine of ?500,000 ($3,380).
Without the well-developed road infrastructure of many parts of Honshu, it has never been easy to be a truck driver in Hokkaido, Japan¡¯s second-largest island but largest prefecture in terms of landmass-
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Mar 3, 2025
Hokkaido trucking industry faces challenges from overtime cap
Without the well-developed road infrastructure of many parts of Honshu, it has never been easy to be a truck driver in Hokkaido.
A Dior store front in Rome. Despite passing audits, Dior's contractors in Italy have been accused of labor abuses.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 2, 2025
Inside luxury goods¡¯ broken audit system
Revelations of worker exploitation in Dior¡¯s Italian production chain have exposed flaws in supply chain audits and triggered judicial action.
Jetstar Japan has been ordered to pay back wages to two cabin crew members for the periods they were suspended.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Dec 3, 2024
Jetstar Japan loses lawsuit over disciplinary action against cabin crew
The Tokyo District Court ruled that the airline¡¯s suspension of two cabin crew members in relation to a pay dispute in 2022 was unjustified.
The labor ministry will urge companies to take action against the practice of forcing employees to buy their own products to meet sales quotas.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Nov 26, 2024
Japan steps up measures against firms forcing workers to buy own products
The labor ministry will define such practices as a form of power harassment and require companies to take action when they occur.
Workers repair a damaged road on Jan. 7 in the aftermath of an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Nov 14, 2024
New minister promises ample budget for disaster resilience
¡°Improving the country¡¯s resilience is an extremely important task,¡± Hiromasa Nakano said in an interview.
An expert committee convened by the health ministry has proposed introducing a limit on consecutive workdays.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Nov 13, 2024
Japan to ban employees from working for 14 consecutive days
Employers are currently required to provide one day off a week, but loopholes mean some employees can work up to 48 days in a row.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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