OTHER NEWS - Sept. 29, 1994

Japan Moves Against Sexism in Workplace: The Labor Ministry has directed hundreds of companies to abandon discriminatory practices against women. After two years of investigating financial institutions and broadcast stations, the ministry discovered “inequality” between men and women in the workplace. Of 655 companies investigated, 264 financial institutions and 51 broadcast stations were found to violate Japan’s equal employment law. The law requires employers to treat women equally in recruitment, wages and promotion and forbids discrimination in training, retirement and dismissal. But the law is toothless: It lacks any penalties to make employers comply.