The Practical Reality of Employee Terminations in Japan, with Akiko Yamakawa
Overview
It is widely accepted that dismissing an employee in Japan is "difficult." However, for Country Managers and Chief Executives, dealing variously with poor performance, misconduct, or corporate restructuring requires understanding precisely what that difficulty entails in practice and how to navigate exits safely.
Adding to this complexity is a sharp rise in workplace disputes before Japanese courts and labour tribunals. Expanding statutory duties around harassment (sexual and power) and strict time-tracking rules to curb overtime abuse have created an increasingly difficult climate for employers. As a result, leaders face high-stakes termination scenarios, including bad-faith or fraudulent claims weaponised to secure inflated exit payouts.
In this closed-group session for Delphi Network members and invited guests, Akiko Yamakawa (Partner at Vanguard Lawyers Tokyo) will examine the legal and practical realities of employment termination in the current legal climate. Akiko’s Li profile is here - please feel free to connect.
This will be a peer-led conversation where leaders are invited to share their own real-world experiences, including complex and at times deeply challenging cases.
Key Discussion Topics:
Understanding the Realities: The legal standards for dismissal and how termination cases actually unfold in Japanese courts today.
Grounds for Dismissal: The practical differences between handling poor performance, gross misconduct, and redundancies.
Navigating High-Stakes Claims: How courts scrutinise sexual and power harassment allegations and how employers can defend against false or bad-faith claims used as leverage in exit negotiations.
Overtime & Time-Tracking Scrutiny: How working-hours record-keeping impacts dismissal cases and severance calculations.
Reducing Legal Risk: Pragmatic approaches to achieving a clean departure while protecting the business from legal and reputational harm.
Event Details
Format: Closed-group briefing followed by confidential peer discussion
Audience: Country Managers, Chief Executives, and selected guests
Please note: This is a strictly confidential, closed-door session under the Chatham House Rule to ensure a safe environment for members to discuss sensitive and personal operational experiences.