Court Says Worker Must Pay the Piper

Japan’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that it is legal for an employer to dock a reporter’s pay for taking a month off despite orders not to use all his vacation allotment at one time.

Toshiaki Yamaguchi had sued the wire agency Jiji Press, seeking $375 in back pay, $3,900 for psychological stress and $1,600 in legal fees.

Jiji withheld the pay as a penalty for 10 days that Yamaguchi took off without his boss’ permission as part of a one-month summer vacation in 1980. He spent his break studying nuclear power plants in Europe after the Three Mile Island accident in the United States raised questions about nuclear safety.

Under Japanese law, workers have the right to request vacations whenever they want, but employers can order changes in vacations that would interfere with normal business.