December 18, 2018

The Japanese Communist Party Dietmembers' Group on December 17 made a representation to the Labor Ministry, demanding that enforceable legislation be introduced to eliminate workplace harassment.

They criticized the Ministry's Labor Policy Council for deferring a proposal to ban harassment in the workplace. They emphasized the need to establish a law to specifically deal with matters concerning harassment to comprehensively prohibit harassment.

Making reference to a new ILO convention scheduled to be adopted next year on ending violence and harassment in the workplace, they demanded that Japan also make an effective domestic law which meets the ILO standards.

They furthermore demanded the establishment of an independent administrative organ to provide relief to harassment victims.

In response, Kobayashi Yoji, the head of the Ministry's bureau in charge of dealing with the issue, admitted to the fact that several members in the Labor Policy Council had called for a stipulation to ban harassment in the workplace and that other nations have much stricter standards than Japan does in regard to workplace harassment. The official added that the establishment of a stipulation on prohibition of harassment "is difficult unless an administrative committee to protect victims is set up".

Past related articles:
> Newspaper workers' union demands eradication of sexual harassment in the media [May 25, 2018]
> One in three young medical workers suffer some form of harassment: union survey [May 12, 2018]
> Unionized female reporters issue joint statement condemning sexual harassment [April 22 & 24, 2018]
> Lawmakers of 6 opposition parties call for protection of sexual harassment victim and TV Asahi [April 21, 2018]
> Opposition party lawmakers demand full probe into alleged sexual harassment by top bureaucrat [April 18, 2018]
> Finance Minister: Victims should come forward to prove ministry bureaucrat’s acts of sexual harassment [April 18, 2018]
> JCP Koike demands dismissal of financial ministry's top bureaucrat over sexual harassment allegations [April 14 & 17, 2018]