Category Archives: Discrimination

Labor ministry proposes requiring firms to hire employees till age 65

December 16, 2011 in Discrimination, News

The labor ministry proposed Wednesday requiring companies to keep their workers employed till the age of 65 if they wish to continue working even after reaching the retirement age of 60, in light of the government’s plan to raise the pensionable age from 60 to 65 in stages.

Schizophrenic Constitution leaves foreigners’ rights mired in confusion

November 11, 2011 in Discrimination, Immigration, News

So what rights do foreign residents have under the Constitution? Well, according to the Supreme Court, they are entitled to all the same rights as Japanese people, except for those which by their nature are only to be enjoyed by Japanese people.

Temp staffer wins maternity leave, via union

August 10, 2011 in Discrimination, Dispatch, News

When female nonregular workers become pregnant, employers often refuse to renew their contracts. However, a Japanese-Brazilian woman in the Tokai region stood up and joined a local labor union to protest the practice.

18 tax offices in 4 central Japan prefectures kept files on foreigners

June 27, 2011 in Discrimination, Immigration, News

Each of the tax offices are thought to have kept such files on more than 1,000 foreign taxpayers, but the number of those identified by nationality or alien registration number is not known.

Muslims file suit over antiterror investigations

May 19, 2011 in Discrimination, Immigration, News

A group of 14 Muslims has filed suit against the central and Tokyo metropolitan governments, demanding 154 million yen in compensation for violations of privacy and religious freedom after police antiterrorism documents containing their personal information were leaked onto the Internet.

First openly gay candidate wins in Tokyo ward

April 26, 2011 in Discrimination, News

Openly gay candidate Taiga Ishikawa won a seat in the Toshima Ward Assembly in Tokyo in Sunday’s election, marking a historic first.

Kicking up a stink over ink in Kobe

March 15, 2011 in Discrimination, News

You might want to avoid Suma Beach this summer if you are inked or have even a temporary sticker tattoo. The powers that be in Kobe City are considering ways to ban the display of tattoos on the beach. It’s not easy to have a tattoo in Japan, and things have been getting even more [...]

Activist fighting for LGBT rights

March 12, 2011 in Discrimination, News

Toshima Ward candidate aims to pass partnership ordinance [Taiga] Ishikawa, a 36-year-old writer and activist with inside experience in politics [and an openly gay candidate running for the Toshima Ward Assembly in Tokyo], said he is not trying to become Japan’s Harvey Milk. But what he is aiming for as a politician is to make [...]

Tokyo governor should retract anti-gay statement, activists say

February 4, 2011 in Discrimination, News

The governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, should retract his recent statements denigrating lesbians and gay men, Human Rights Watch said today. The governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, should retract his recent statements denigrating lesbians and gay men, Human Rights Watch said today.

Japan Keeps a High Wall for Foreign Labor

January 6, 2011 in Discrimination, Immigration, News

Maria Fransiska, a young, hard-working nurse from Indonesia, is just the kind of worker Japan would seem to need to replenish its aging work force. But Ms. Fransiska, 26, is having to fight to stay. To extend her three-year stint at a hospital outside Tokyo, she must pass a standardized nursing exam administered in Japanese, [...]