Sexual Harassment At A Japanese Aquarium

The parameters of workplace sexual harassment in Japan are in some ways similar to the U.S. and in some ways different, and it’s a dynamic equation, as this post from Squire Patton Boggs makes clear. A recent widely publicized Japanese Supreme Court ruling effectively broke new ground: The Court upheld the suspension and demotion of two Osaka Aquarium managers for sexual harassment that was purely verbal and where there had been no formal warning before the action was taken. In the context of Japanese law, that represents a harder line. But, the authors of this post warn, employers in Japan will need to remain cautious, as judges in other cases will have significant leeway in how they handle the matter. Once again, the best employer policy is to have a policy, one that’s clear and clearly enforced.