It is not an overstatement to say that the most important aspect of a company is its employees. No matter how excellent its products and service are, optimum business activities cannot be achieved if employees are not working properly. Japanese labor law often amends the principles of contractual freedom. Without being aware of it, it is not unusual for a company's actions (including wage calculations, disciplinary punishment, and amendments of working rules) to turn out to be illegal. For example, a careless initial response of the company to a collective bargaining proposal from a labor union may mean the company loses the chance to solve the issue at an early stage and avoid a major protracted dispute. 

Due to the development of social networking sites, labor law violations which were not presented in the news in the past can now spread widely to the public, which can damage companies' reputations. Therefore, companies must understand labor law and how best to apply it. 

Our attorneys specializing in labor law offer a wide range of support from giving daily advice and preventing disputes (e.g., changes to working rules, dealing with problematic employees and investigating damaging declarations of sexual and power harassment) to representing companies when disputes arise (e.g., negotiations with employees, correspondence with labor unions/labor standards inspection offices, and representation before the courts). Should there be any concerns with regards to your employees, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our attorneys are more likely to resolve your concerns if you seek our advice in advance of any actions.