Female Employee of Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dies by Suicide After Workplace Sexual Harassment

According to a report from Asahi Shimbun on February 24: A female employee in her twenties working at the Kyushu Agricultural Office of Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries committed suicide due to sexual harassment and bullying by her superior, as well as the government's failure to take effective measures. The woman's husband and parents have filed a lawsuit against the government, seeking compensation of about 140 million yen.

On the 24th, the Fukuoka District Court (Presiding Judge Yūichirō Nakatsugi) held the first oral argument between the plaintiff and defendant. According to the complaint, during a company gathering in May 2018, the male supervisor of the woman said to her, "Your chest is big," and touched her chest. After the woman began to avoid the supervisor, she was subjected to workplace bullying and harassment. At another gathering in August 2018, the woman was repeatedly scolded loudly, being told, "Go home."

The woman then developed depression and took a leave of absence in September of the following year. After that, she felt afraid when communicating with men of similar age to her supervisor. She eventually had to resign in 2022.

After leaving her job, the woman wanted to work part-time, but during an interview, she encountered a man of the same age as her former supervisor, which worsened her condition. She became pessimistic about her future and died by suicide in 2023.

According to the plaintiff, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries acknowledged that the woman's suicide was caused by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from psychological trauma, and there was a causal relationship between the PTSD, depression, and the harassment, and it was recognized as a public duty accident.

The Kyushu Agricultural Office of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries stated that after receiving the woman's report, her supervisor was suspended for nine months.

The plaintiff claims that the government had an obligation to create a work environment free from sexual harassment, but failed to do so, violating its duty of safety.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857970963614727/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.