Japan Press Weekly

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2013 December 11 - 17 [LABOR]

Ex-life insurance company worker wins compensation for power harassment

A former female worker of Sumitomo Life Insurance Company on December 11 won about 40 million yen in compensation from her company through mediation by the Osaka District Court in her lawsuit over power harassment by her supervisor.

The plaintiff who worked at a Sumitomo office in Osaka fell into a state of severe depression in 2007 because her boss frequently criticized her job performance by using harsh and abusive language. Two years later, she quit her job as she could not cope with the emotional stress and turmoil.

In July 2010, she achieved recognition of her mental distress as work-related by labor authorities which confirmed that power harassment by her boss badly affected her mental health. With this recognition, she filed a lawsuit against Sumitomo and her boss, demanding payment of about 63 million yen in compensation.