Recession Puts More Pressure on Japan's Workers

In the last year or so, life appeared to be getting better for Japan's long-suffering workers. Sure, salarymen still toil long into the evening and are expected to guzzle with their bosses after hours. But employers, at the behest of government, have been taking steps to ease workloads, and recent cases suggest Japan's judiciary is more willing to side with employees who sue companies—a trend that could lead to a better balance between job demands and a worker's private life.

A 44-year-old engineer at automotive supplier Denso is one recent beneficiary. On Oct. 30, 2008, a court in Nagoya awarded $15,000 to the man, whose full name hasn't been officially revealed, because excessive demands at work contributed to his depression. He had been working 14 to 15 hours a day at Toyota (TM), where he had been seconded to help develop diesel engine technology. After going back to Denso, he took six months off to recover from overwork but was demoted when he returned to his job. "It was important that the court recognized that the companies didn't give enough consideration to the working environment," says the man, who still works at the automotive supplier. Toyota and Denso both said that while they don't entirely agree with the verdict, they won't appeal the decision.