"32% of Japanese Job Seekers Face Sexual Harassment"... Companies Obligated to Prevent It

In Japan, where sexual harassment against job seekers has become a social issue, a new system will be implemented to obligate companies to take preventive measures.

According to the Tokyo Shimbun and the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 3rd, the revised Equal Employment Opportunity Act will take effect this coming October, expanding companies' obligations to prevent workplace harassment—which previously applied only to employees—to job seekers and interns.

As a result, companies will be obligated to establish measures to prevent sexual harassment against job seekers, set up relevant counseling systems, and ensure prompt verification and prevention of recurrence.

In February, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the relevant government department, presented typical examples of sexual harassment against job seekers to help companies prepare measures, such as "touching the waist and chest," "demanding a sexual relationship with a job applicant," and "persistently urging private meals."

In Japan, issues of sexual harassment against job seekers, known as "sekuhara," continue to occur without a break.

In 2019, a male employee at major trading company Sumitomo Corporation was arrested on charges of making a junior female university student who visited the company for job-hunting activities drink alcohol and then committing obscene acts, and in 2020, a male employee at Recruit Communications was handcuffed after sexually assaulting a female college student.

The Tokyo Shimbun pointed out, "Even now, amid a severe labor shortage, malicious acts that exploit the psychology of job seekers who fear being disadvantaged in their employment continue to occur."

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare also released survey results showing that in 2024, 31.9% of job seekers suffered sexual harassment during company information sessions and interviews, while 30.1% of internship participants experienced sexual harassment.

Among the types of sexual harassment suffered by job seekers, persistent invitations to meals or dates (33.2%) and sexual jokes and teasing (28.9%) were the most common.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.