Japanese Whistleblowers Face Multimillion-Yen Lawsuits as Retaliation
Whistleblowers in Japan are facing multimillion-yen lawsuits as retaliation for exposing wrongdoing at companies, raising questions about the country's legal system and its protection of whistleblowers.
Nozomi Fukuda, a former employee of Momuri, a resignation agency, reported that she was instructed to refer clients to lawyers and was told that the company would receive 16,500 yen per referral. She concluded that illegal conduct was occurring and resigned four months later, reporting the matter to organizations including a bar association.
The company subsequently announced that it would sue three people, including Fukuda, seeking 22 million yen in damages over online statements concerning harassment. The lawsuit did not address allegations of violating the Attorneys Act.
Fukuda said the litigation transformed her life, cutting into time with her family and causing a cerebral infarction. She was no longer certain if she would have taken part in the whistleblowing had she known how much time and money the litigation would consume.