Latest news with #ShogakukanInc.
Asahi Shimbun
19 hours ago
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
FTC punishes publishers for violating freelance law
Shogakukan Inc. and Kobunsha Co. (The Asahi Shimbun) In the first recommendation issued under the new freelance law, the Fair Trade Commission on June 17 cited major Tokyo-based publishers Shogakukan Inc. and Kobunsha Co. for their mistreatment of freelancers. The two publishers were reprimanded for failing to pay freelance magazine writers and photographers on time and failing to specify the terms and conditions of transactions. The FTC issued a recommendation and demanded that they prevent a recurrence of violating the freelance law, which protects freelance workers. According to the FTC, Shogakukan did not specify the terms and conditions of transactions, such as payment dates, when it outsourced work to 191 freelance writers, photographers, illustrators, and hair and makeup artists for the production of monthly and weekly magazines from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024. The company also failed to pay their compensation by the due date. Kobunsha committed similar violations in transactions with 31 freelancers between Nov. 1, 2024, and Feb. 27 of this year. Freelancers are workers who are not employed by a company or other organization, and work alone to receive orders for work. According to a 2020 survey by the Cabinet Secretariat, there were an estimated 4.62 million freelancers in Japan. The freelance law was enacted in November 2024. Under the law, before placing an order for work, the client is required to clearly state the nature of the work, the amount of compensation, and the payment date in writing or via email. The FTC said that in Shogakukan's cases, more than half of the transactions in which there were violations were commissioned orally, and, in some cases, the amount of compensation was not clearly indicated. In principle, the due date of compensation must be set to 'the earliest possible date within 60 days' from the date of receipt of the deliverables, and if not set, the due date is the date of receipt of the contracted work. The two companies did not set a due date and did not pay any compensation even after receiving the work. Kobunsha also had a violation where it was approximately 90 days late from the due date. Some freelancers asked for clarification of business terms and demanded payment of compensation, but the situation did not improve, the FTC said. The law also stipulates seven prohibited acts for those who place orders for work lasting more than one month, such as refusing to accept the final product, reducing compensation, returning the product, abuse of buying power, and asking for an unfair do-over.
Asahi Shimbun
28-05-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: A grain of doubt niggles at Japan's new rice stockpile policy
Bags of stockpiled rice are offered for sale at a supermarket in Nagano on May 21. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) As one might expect from 'Mizuho no Kuni' (The land of bountiful rice), Japan possesses a rich and expressive linguistic tradition centered on rice. This is vividly illustrated in Shogakukan Inc.'s 'Koji Zokushin Kotowaza Dai-Jiten' (Encyclopedia of classical stories, folk beliefs and proverbs), which contains a wealth of rice-themed old sayings and 'kyoka' short, satirical verses that adhere to the traditional 31-syllable tanka structure. For example, consider the saying: 'Oboshimeshi yori kome no meshi' (Better a bowl of rice than concern from above). The phrase hinges on a clever pun involving the word 'meshi.' In 'oboshimeshi,' the term is part of an honorific expression used to convey respectful reference to the thoughts, intentions or wishes of someone of high status. In contrast, 'kome no meshi' refers quite literally to a bowl of cooked rice. The saying evokes the image of someone declaring that tangible sustenance is far more valuable than lofty sentiments or empty promises from those in power. That sentiment likely resonates with many Japanese people today, as rice prices continue to climb. In response, the government has taken the unusual step of selling rice from its emergency reserves directly to retailers through discretionary contracts, departing from its previous practice of auctioning off stockpiled rice. This move may lead to a swift drop in prices—if all goes according to plan. In practice, however, many retailers may still need to go through wholesalers for milling, potentially blunting the policy's effect. An old poem captures the frustration of such unpredictability: 'Sando kuu meshi sae kowashi yawarakashi omou mama ni wa naranu yo no naka' (Even rice eaten three times a day turns out too hard or too soft—such is the world: It rarely goes the way we wish). Just as it is difficult to cook rice to the perfect texture over a traditional hearth, so too is it difficult to shape life precisely 'as one wishes.' The poem plays on the word meshi, which means both 'cooked rice' and 'meal,' and 'omou mama,' which means 'as one desires.' As 'mama' can also refer to 'cooked rice,' 'omou mama' can be interpreted not only as 'what one hopes for' but also as 'the ideal bowl of rice.' The real concern lies in what happens this autumn or later. The government has made it clear that it will not replenish its rice reserves. Once the current stock is depleted, the same emergency strategy will no longer be available in the event of another crisis. What then? Last summer, officials brushed aside concerns by insisting that the sense of shortage would disappear once the new harvest reached the market. But surely, that line won't be repeated so easily this time. At the heart of the issue is a troubling ambiguity: The root cause of the current disruption remains unclear. Was it the extreme heat that compromised rice quality and led to milling losses? A spike in rice consumption by foreign visitors? Or perhaps a deeper failure in agricultural policy? A timeworn proverb offers a pointed reminder: 'Kome hitotsubu, ase hitotsubu' (One grain of rice, one drop of sweat). Every glistening white grain contains the labor and perseverance of farmers. As the head of the Ibaraki prefectural central union of agricultural cooperatives recently lamented in The Asahi Shimbun's Ibaraki edition: 'If rice is sold in the 2,000-yen range for 5 kilograms (as the government hopes), sustainable farming becomes impossible.' His words still resonate. —The Asahi Shimbun, May 28 * * * Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
