Toyota Motor on Tuesday stated labor officials in Japan have found it responsible for the suicide of a worker, with the Mainichi Shimbun reporting that workplace bullying at the automaker had resulted in the worker’s death.
The news comes as a declining workforce and changing values about work-life balance in Japan has meant companies are progressively found responsible for workplace-related suicide.
Toyota City’s labor standards officials had been probing the 2017 suicide of a Toyota Motor worker, a representative at the automaker confirmed to Reuters.
“It’s true that the labor authority determined it was a workplace injury, but we cannot comment further as talks between representatives are ongoing,” the spokesman stated.
Daily newspaper Mainichi Shimbun, which was the first to note about the officials’ conclusion, stated that the worker’s supervisor had called him an “idiot” and also that he was “better dead”.
The worker committed suicide in a company dormitory and he was 28 years old, the newspaper reported. The worker’s family plans to take legal action against the automaker, the newspaper said.
Labor officials refused to confirm their decision to Reuters, stating they could not comment on individual cases.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been a supporter of better workplace practices in favor of workers’ rights, with issues such as parental leave progressively one of the major discussions in this regard.
