TOKYO, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Japan's cabinet on Friday approved a package of bills aimed at promoting the advancement of females working at smaller firms and banning all forms of harassment, abuses of power or bullying in the workplace.
The bills will come into effect from fiscal 2020, the government indicated, and will be introduced in a staggered manner if passed by the Diet during the current session.
The legislation, however, has been criticized for not including punitive measures to be taken against those who violate the new rules, such as those in positions of power using their status to harass and take advantage of their juniors.
Specific examples of abuses of power will be made clear in guidelines set by the government to clear up any ambiguities as to exactly what constitutes harassment.
Workers who report incidents of sexual harassment, under the new regulations, will not be allowed to be discriminated against or treated differently from others once the claim has been made.
In line with regulations that large firms must follow, small and medium-sized companies employing between 101 to 300 workers have to set quantifiable targets for promoting women to positions of seniority, under the government's new guidelines.
Large companies who do not disclose the ratio of female to male executives, or the numbers of workers, male or female, that have taken childcare leave, will have their names publicly posted by the government, under the new guidelines.
