Japan Press Weekly

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2011 November 2 - 8 [LABOR]

Basketball player sues company for unjust dismissal

A woman of Chinese origin, who had belonged to the women basketball club of a cosmetics company, on November 14 filed a lawsuit demanding withdrawal of an unjust dismissal order and the payment of wages.

The 29-year-old plaintiff is Kawamura Risa. She had an open-ended job contract with the Shizuoka-based Chanson Cosmetics, known for having a strong women’s basketball team in the Japanese league.

She came to Japan in 2003, at the company’s urging to play basketball for its team. The company told her that she could acquire Japanese nationality after 2 years’ stay in Japan and that the company would look after her even after she ended her career as a player.

Any foreign player needs to stay more than 5 years in Japan to acquire Japanese nationality, a prerequisite for her entry in a top league game in Japanese women’s basketball. In 2009, she obtained permission to apply for Japanese nationality. However, just before the world championship games in September 2010, Kawamura turned out to be unqualified to enter, and she was dismissed by Chanson Cosmetics last February.

At a news conference Kawamura said, “I want the company to keep its promises so that players can engage in sports without undue stress.”