Legislation to prevent power harassment enacted in Japan

May 29, 2019

Tokyo--The Diet, Japan's parliament, enacted on Wednesday legislation requiring corporations to introduce measures to prevent so-called power harassment.

Amendments to the existing law on workplace regulations were passed by the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet. The House of Representatives, the lower chamber, approved them earlier this year.

The legislation defines workplace harassment as "harming the working environment through verbal or physical behavior that goes beyond the necessity of conducting business and takes advantage of superior positions in a relationship."

It also bans the firing and other unfavorable treatment of those who report cases of harassment.

The new rules will be applied to large companies from next April at the earliest.

Also amended were laws that require the prevention of sexual harassment, such as the equal employment opportunity law and the law on promoting women's roles in the workplace.

The revised laws stipulate that power harassment and sexual harassment are acts that must not be performed. However, no penalties will be imposed on rule violations, despite labor advocates' calls for such measure.

Supplementary resolutions by both chambers of the Diet called for necessary measures to be taken to prevent harassment to freelance workers and students seeking employment. The resolutions also demanded considerations for harmful acts by customers and business partners.

The labor ministry is expected to establish guidelines as early as this year for setting detailed preventive measures. The Labor Policy Council, an advisory group to the labor minister, will discuss the matter along with the supplementary resolutions. Jiji Press