The mother of Yosuke Suzuki, 26, who worked at the Mie Branch of Chubu Electric Power Company, committed suicide in 2010 because of power harassment and overwork, including abusive language from his supervisor. The Nagoya High Court on March 25 reversed the ruling of the first trial court, which had dismissed the claim, and rescinded the decision by the Tsu Labor Standards Inspection Office.
The Nagoya District Court ruling in the first instance stated that there was no evidence to support his mother’s claims of verbal abuse, such as “Are you really a university grad?” or “We don’t need you.” However, High Court Judge Yasuhiro Hasegawa, in his ruling, found that Mr. Suzuki’s friend had testified that there had been verbal abuse. The judge found that the verbal abuse was “beyond the scope of work guidance and constituted a denial of his character and humanity.
He also pointed out that the supervisor did not provide sufficient explanation or guidance to Mr. Suzuki, a new employee who did not understand how to proceed with a difficult task. It is clear that the psychological burden was strong overall, and the onset of the mental disorder and the suicide were attributed to the work.
At a press conference in Nagoya City, the mother said, “It proved how hard Yosuke’s work was with the help of various people. I am really happy for him.”
Tsu Labor Standards Bureau’s Deputy Chief commented, “We would like to make a decision after reviewing the content of the ruling and consulting with the relevant authorities. Chubu Electric Power said, “We are aware of the court decision, but since we are not a party to the lawsuit, we refrain from commenting on it.”
According to the ruling, Mr. Suzuki joined the company in April 2010. After being assigned to the Mie Branch, he developed a mental disorder and committed suicide in October of the same year. His mother applied for workers’ compensation, but the Tsu Labor Standards Bureau denied his claim in 2002.
(Kyodo News)
