CRIA Global – Japan Workplace Knowledge for All Workers

 Read the original article (in Japanese): 「生理は病気じゃない。甘えんな」こんな上司の発言は違法？ 生理休暇を拒否された女性たちの悩み - 弁護士ドットコム Chapter 1: The Era Where "I Didn't Know" No Longer Works In 2025, many labor-related workplace incidents stem from one common source: managerial ignorance . Take menstrual leave, for example—clearly defined in Japan’s Labor Standards Act. Yet it’s still not uncommon for managers to deny such requests with comments like “It’s not an illness” or “Everyone else toughs it out.” The issue isn’t just individual misconduct. A manager’s words are interpreted as corporate action . “I didn’t know” doesn’t hold up anymore. Violating employee rights isn’t just a mistake—it exposes the company to legal, reputational, and compliance risks. Chapter 2: The Manager’s Role is to Ensure Legal Compliance in Operations A manager’s core responsibility isn’t just overseeing operations—it’s ensuring those operations are carried out lawfully . For example: Proper time tracking and overtime regulati...

 Read the original article (in Japanese): 「有給を勝手に使われるとか理解できない」　退職代行68回の製造メーカー、辞めた20代女性のエピソード（1/2） | 就職・転職 ねとらぼ Chapter 1: What Is a Boss’s Authority? — Its Legal Basis Have you ever felt that “a boss’s orders are absolute”? Legally, however, there is no such thing as “a boss’s authority” written into law. The foundation lies only in the employment contract and the company’s right to direct work , which is partially delegated to the boss. Labor Contract Act : The company holds the right to direct work; a boss merely acts as its agent. Civil Code (Delegation of Authority) : Authority extends only to the scope of carrying out tasks. Labor Standards Law and Case Law : Insults or interference with private life are illegal. In other words, a boss’s authority is nothing more than a role to manage work smoothly . It is not a license to control people. Chapter 2: Why Are Bosses Misperceived as “Rulers”? In practice, bosses often mistake themselves for rulers, and subordinates fa...

  Read the original article (in Japanese): 「出社義務なら転職する」人も！働く人の4割がリモートを希望 | スマホライフPLUS Flexibility as the Ultimate Advantage for SMEs “It’s impossible for a company like ours to attract top talent.” This common lament among small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) leaders is increasingly outdated. A new era has quietly arrived—one where elite professionals willingly choose SMEs. Behind this shift lies the growing disconnect between large corporations enforcing Return to Office (RTO) policies and workers demanding freedom. This article explores how SMEs can turn “flexibility” into their most powerful weapon for recruitment. The Rise of RTO in Large Corporations As of 2025, many large corporations in Japan are pushing employees back into the office. Mandatory five-day attendance and the abolition of full-remote work have become common. According to surveys by OpenWork and Indeed Japan, about half of companies enforce some level of office attendance, with more than 20% requiring five ...

 Read the original article (in Japanese): 女性管理職「３割以上」１１．５％　東海４県過去最高　：地域ニュース : 読売新聞 1. When Numbers Make the Headlines Every time I see headlines like “Female Managers Surpass 30%,” I feel a twinge of discomfort. Yes, there are numerical targets from the government, ESG ratings, and diversity-driven business trends that explain the attention. Metrics help measure societal progress, to an extent. Still, I have to ask: Is “how many women” really the core issue? Whether someone becomes a manager should depend on ability, not gender. Numbers alone miss the point. Recognizing that is the first step toward more honest, fair discussions. 2. Western Approaches and Japan’s Position Countries like Norway and France have introduced legal quotas requiring women to occupy a certain percentage of board seats. In the U.S., the NFL’s “Rooney Rule” inspired similar efforts in corporate leadership, mandating that women or minority candidates be considered in hiring. These systems weren’t designed to ...

 Read the original article (in Japanese): 日本の経営者の能力は「世界ワースト3位」、競争力世界一から38位に転落した元凶とは【高岡浩三】 「失われた30年」で日本の上場企業の時価総額はアメリカの10分の1以下にまで衰退した。賃金も世界に大きく後れを取る今日の日 diamond.jp Introduction: Numbers Alone Cannot Explain Japan’s Economy GDP rankings and global competitiveness tables are attention-grabbing, but to judge the state of Japan’s economy by these numbers alone is simplistic. The real question is not what rank we hold , but why we are slipping and where our structural weaknesses lie . According to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, Japan now ranks 51st in business efficiency and 58th in productivity—alarmingly low among advanced economies. These figures are not abstract statistics; they mirror the lived reality of Japanese workplaces: endless meetings, delays awaiting approvals, and a culture that mistakes long hours for diligence. Such inefficiencies form the core of Japan’s management illness. Chapter 1: The Contradiction of “Profitable Restructuring” Nothing illustrates this pro...

  Read the original article (in Japanese): 時給2000円でも「応募ゼロ」　なぜ飲食業界には人が集まらないのか？（山路力也） - エキスパート - Yahoo!ニュース 1. Introduction: What “No Applicants at 2,000 Yen Per Hour” Really Means The fact that even a wage of 2,000 yen per hour cannot attract applicants is not merely a labor market issue—it reflects a structural failure in how businesses are designed. The real question is this: If people aren’t coming, can you redesign your operations so that they don't depend on human labor in the first place? This is not just a concern for the restaurant industry. As Japan faces a rapidly aging society and declining birthrate, all service-sector businesses must confront this as a critical management challenge. 2. From “Using People” to “Designing Without People” The traditional model of hiring cheap labor to keep operations running is no longer viable. What’s needed now is a shift toward systems that function even without people . Automation, Self-Service, and Robotics in Practice Task Traditional...

 Read the original article (in Japanese): 化粧品会社でパワハラ、新入社員が死亡　社長辞任し1億円超支払いへ：朝日新聞 　化粧品メーカー「ディー・アップ」（東京）の坂井満社長（当時）が、自らのパワハラ行為により社員の女性（当時25）が自死を図 www.asahi.com Chapter 1: The Folly of a Leader Can Ruin a Company A major cosmetics company was rocked when its president’s power harassment drove a new employee to take her own life. The president resigned, and the company paid massive compensation, but neither the life nor the trust could be restored. The problem is not “personal misconduct” but a risk that shakes the foundation of management itself. One leader’s outburst destroyed an employee’s future and dragged the company’s reputation into the dirt. Power harassment is not just misconduct. It is a serious management risk and a costly liability . Unless executives see it this way, the same failures will repeat. Chapter 2: Lose Trust, Lose the Brand A brand is not made of products or services but of trust . Once news breaks of a harassment case, society labels the company as one tha...

  Read the original article (in Japanese): 1. Introduction – HR Must Never Shy Away from Effort One of the greatest challenges facing Japanese companies today is the lack of trust in performance evaluations. Most employee dissatisfaction stems from how they are evaluated, because evaluation is directly tied to treatment, and treatment ultimately shapes a person’s life. If evaluations are opaque, employees feel unseen and lose trust. If they are perceived as fair, people can accept even harsh results. This simple truth has been put into practice by Iris Ohyama for over 20 years. The company introduced a 360-degree evaluation system for all employees and has consistently invested the time and effort to ensure fairness and transparency. Today, this approach has grown beyond being a “system” and has become part of the company’s culture. Their practice makes one message very clear: HR is not a place for shortcuts—it is where effort must be invested. 2. Iris Ohyama’s 360-Degree Evaluatio...

 Read the original article (in Japanese): 「残業キャンセル界隈」名乗る若者が増加中……　上司はどう向き合うべき？ SNS発の「○○キャンセル界隈」が職場にも広がり、「残業キャンセル界隈」を名乗る若手が増えている。背景には働き方改革の誤解 www.itmedia.co.jp Chapter 1｜Before Complaining About Young Employees Leaving on Time “Why are they leaving when the work isn’t finished?” “We still have deadlines today—how can they just go home at the scheduled time?” These are the typical frustrations voiced by managers. But this isn’t about a lack of work ethic among the younger generation. The very fact that overtime is assumed reflects a breakdown in work planning and oversight. Overtime should be the exception, not the norm. When work doesn't end on time, when assignments are poorly balanced, when the structure is flawed—that’s a failure of management. Before complaining about “today’s young workers,” managers should scrutinize their own systems. Chapter 2｜Overtime Is Not Effort—It’s Poor Design The era when working late meant commitment and value is over. Today’s work evaluation is based...

 Read the original article (in Japanese): 新浪剛史・元サントリーHD会長「法を犯しておらず潔白」主張も、海外サプリに潜む危険性【危機管理の専門家が解説】 サントリーホールディングス（HD）会長を辞任した新浪剛史氏が、経済同友会の代表幹事として記者会見。海外サプリメントの購入に diamond.jp One Scandal Can Shake an Entire Company In September 2025, former Suntory Holdings Chairman Takeshi Niinami resigned after becoming the subject of a police investigation over CBD supplements purchased overseas. Although he defended himself by saying, “I broke no laws,” the public did not accept his explanation. Suntory, prioritizing crisis management and brand protection, quickly moved to secure his resignation. The key issue here is not simply the act itself but rather why one individual’s conduct can damage the value of an entire company. Society does not only judge the act but also the company’s decision to appoint that individual in the first place. Appointment is not just a promotion—it is a message a company sends to society, and each personnel choice can alter corporate value. Appointments Are Corporate ...