Japan: progress towards diversity and equality in employment

RIS ID

90421

Publication Details

Mackie, V., Okano, K. and Rawstron, K. (2014). Japan: progress towards diversity and equality in employment. In A. Klarsfeld, L. A.E. Booysen, E. Ng, I. Roper and A. Tatli (Eds.), International Handbook on Diversity Management at Work: Country Perspectives on Diversity and Equal Treatment (pp. 137-161). London: Edward Elgar Publishers.

Additional Publication Information

ISBN: 9780857939319

Abstract

The Constitution of Japan (Nihon Koku Kenpo, promulgated 1946, effective 1947) guarantees fundamental human rights (Article 11 ); the 'right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ... to the extent that it does not interfere with the public welfare' (Article 13); and freedom from 'discrimination in political, economic or social relations because of race, creed, sex, social status or family origin' (Article 14). All people 'have the right and the duty to work' (Article 27), and the right to collective bargaining (Article 28). As in other places, however, legal guarantees are only the first step in ensuring freedom from discrimination. The law needs to be backed up with societal and cultural change, possibly taking the form of affirmative action programmes. There is considerable variability in policy responses in Japan with regard to different dimensions of difference in employment: gender, sexuality, ability/disability, age, and cultural or ethnic diversity. For its time, the Constitution of Japan had a relatively detailed enumeration of rights, which reflected the understandings of the time. While the Constitution outlaws sexual discrimination, other issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity and same-sex relationships were barely thought of in the 1940s. Freedom from discrimination on the grounds of disability, which has been dealt with in subsequent legislation, is another lacuna in the Constitution. However, matters which were not dealt with explicitly in Article 14 can often be argued for with reference to Article 13, which refers to the 'right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness'.

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