"Editorial: Osaka firm's distribution of racist documents unacceptable" 27 November 2021

A company's repeated workplace distribution of documents containing expressions constituting hate speech has been ruled unlawful. The Osaka High Court ordered the firm to pay damages in a lawsuit filed by an employee who is a Korean resident in Japan.

The defendant, Osaka Prefecture-based real estate firm Fuji Corp., did not stop handing out the written materials after losing its battle in the first ruling on the case. In response to this, the high court upped the amount of compensation, and ordered that the documents' distribution be halted.

From around 2013, the firm began distributing magazine articles and internet posts contemptuous of people from South Korea and China -- including calling them "liars." Although the woman called on the company to stop the practice, her request apparently went unheeded.

The high court ruling recognized that the documents were consistent with inappropriate discriminatory words and actions as outlined in the hate speech elimination law. Furthermore, it acknowledged that the company had contravened its legal obligation to pay consideration in creating a working environment that does not propagate discriminatory ideas. It concluded that the material impinged on the woman's "personal interests" affecting her self-esteem.

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Some of the documents were disseminated by the company's founder and chairman, with orders to distribute them to all employees. If distribution was ordered by someone in a top managerial position with a high level of authority, it would be difficult for employees to resist.

What cannot be overlooked is that this problem was caused by a major firm listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. As such, the company has a great deal of societal influence demanding a high ethical standard.

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