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Power and Sexual Harassment at Japanese Companies

RIDER 00

RIDER 00

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Harassment at Japanese companies have been happening ever since the beginning of Japan mercantilism, but this news story is a rare case where actual video was taken.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2...-end-party-causing-severe-burns/#.W_kod-j7SUk



Apparently, the CEO at a talent agency thought it would be funny to shove the face of one of the employees he wasn't fond of into a shabu shabu pot with boiling hot water. With his whole face burned, the guy is of course suing for damages. Kinda sad how the girls in the video are hooting like drunken buffoons cheering the whole thing on.

I have a bunch of stories of my own I could share about harassment in Japanese companies, but I'll save that for another time.
 
I couldn't watch it thru either......whatever the background facts and circumstances, everyone around that table needs to question themselves...and hopefully the "law" questions them all as well.
 
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This kind of stupidity happens a lot and people cheer along with the monkey show of the boss humiliating people because they are scared to rock the boat and lose their job. That said, there is a point where people need to see it's going too far instead of clapping along and giggling.
 
Fucked up people do fucked up things.. Of course we don't know the whole story but.... I find it hard to believe anyone deserve to have their face shoved in a hot pot... Strange the guy didn't resist in the vdo unless he caught off guard...

Maybe punishment for CEO is the same action he did... And the girls cheering have to help treat burn victims for a month... Like discarding removed bandages and seeing what these types of Burns look like...

I can't believe it was caught on vdo....
 
Not gonna watch the video, that's just gonna destroy my fine afternoon lol.

Wasn't there a story about some Chinese company management asking the employees to eat shit or something because their performances weren't up to par as well? I think those people really don't understand about harassments and assults, and no empathies. But then again, you look at the Western companies (especially Hollywood and Wall Street) and hear not exactly the same but just as bad stories. So many people with power trips. Not sure what they were thinking.
 
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BB0523 said:
Strange the guy didn't resist in the vdo unless he caught off guard...
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Probably the same reason no one else at that party wanted to stop the CEO.

I've been to drinking parties where my boss shoved a cake into a guy's face. It happened when I wasn't watching, so I didn't have any chance to stop it.

I also heard that he used to touch female employee's boobs, talk about fucking his wife, and dry hump a woman's ass at parties earlier in his career.

As you can tell, my boss is a jackass. I did report him to HR and get them to stop his daily bullying of younger male employees by constantly poking them in the head and face every time he walked by their desk.
 
Oh, please. A talent agency is usually a small corporate entity that doesn't have a board. CEO is too much a word for a "shacho". While what the shacho did to a poor young employee in the video is disgusting, I'm not surprised with his being brutal - it’s showbiz where ego mongers get overly arrogant for their status in the business. You can't generalize this vid as a trait that represents the whole corporate Japan.

Harassment happens anywhere - not only in Japan.
 
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Ken1988 said:
Oh, please. A talent agency is usually a small corporate entity that doesn't have a board. CEO is too much a word for a "shacho". While what the shacho did to a poor young employee in the video is disgusting, I'm not surprised with his being brutal - it’s showbiz where ego mongers get overly arrogant for their status in the business. You can't generalize this vid as a trait that represents the whole corporate Japan.

Harassment happens anywhere - not only in Japan.
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Guess you've never worked for an old-school Japanese company with old-school assholes in management.

Of course harassment happens in all countries, but since this site is named TAG, I thought focusing on Japan was the point. Plus, when was the last time you saw footage of a CEO at an American company abusing his employees like this?
 
RIDER 00 said:
Guess you've never worked for an old-school Japanese company with old-school assholes in management.
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I have but never once we had a "25 years old CEO" in any of those companies. Guess that's why I never saw any physical abuse.
 
MikeH said:
I have but never once we had a "25 years old CEO" in any of those companies. Guess that's why I never saw any physical abuse.
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Age and "old-school" aren't the same thing. In the new world, everything is about PC and equality, even if it has to be shoved down our throats, but I'm not surprised a lot of people still feel that they can act like they're still in high school even when they have such huge responsibilities.
 
RIDER 00 said:
Age and "old-school" aren't the same thing. In the new world, everything is about PC and equality, even if it has to be shoved down our throats, but I'm not surprised a lot of people still feel that they can act like they're still in high school even when they have such huge responsibilities.
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Japanese conglomerates do have serious problems, one of them being the old school seniority system and the harassment that yields from that. But I don't really see how 25 year old talent company CEO represents that system.

Nor do I see how he would have huge responsibilities of anything than wiping his own ass. More probably he is just a drunken small-time asshole high on a power-trip and still thinks he is in school where you can bully the students younger than you.
 
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MikeH said:
Japanese conglomerates do have serious problems, one of them being the old school seniority system and the harassment that yields from that. But I don't really see how 25 year old talent company CEO represents that system.

Nor do I see how he would have huge responsibilities of anything than wiping his own ass. More probably he is just a drunken small-time asshole high on a power-trip and still thinks he is in school where you can bully the students younger than you.
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If the 25 year old's way of management is the same as the old system, then he represents it... which he does.

CEO's need to drive good business practices that maximize revenue while complying to moral, legal, and ethical standards. He/She should ensure that their company is a safe working environment where all employees can pursue their livelihood and happiness.
 
RIDER 00 said:
If the 25 year old's way of management is the same as the old system, then he represents it... which he does.
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I take it you have then many examples of physical abuse in Japanese companies? If you don't then you sound like the guy who talked with one Japanese girl once and decided everyone is a gold digger.

As said I have worked in the old system and never seen physical abuse myself. What normally is considered power harassment is yelling, being scolded in front of everyone, making to work in menial tasks and unfair treatment in general. Not saying these aren't bad enough, just saying this is the old system, not burning someone with boiling water.
 
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MikeH said:
I take it you have then many examples of physical abuse in Japanese companies? If you don't then you sound like the guy who talked with one Japanese girl once and decided everyone is a gold digger.

As said I have worked in the old system and never seen physical abuse myself. What normally is considered power harassment is yelling, being scolded in front of everyone, making to work in menial tasks and unfair treatment in general. Not saying these aren't bad enough, just saying this is the old system, not burning someone with boiling water.
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It's common in old school Japanese companies for male employees to be made to strip in front of everyone and teach them who's boss. It's for entertainment and to "help them" connect with everyone else. This could be considered as an extension of that. Heck, I've been to companies where bosses take both male and female employees out to kyabakura bars, even if they don't want to and then ask them to make out with the hostesses.
 
FallenLaughter said:
This kind of stupidity happens a lot and people cheer along with the monkey show of the boss humiliating people because they are scared to rock the boat and lose their job. That said, there is a point where people need to see it's going too far instead of clapping along and giggling.
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I’d want to lose my job with a boss like that! Next thing you know its your head he is pushing.
 
Ken1988 said:
Oh, please. A talent agency is usually a small corporate entity that doesn't have a board. CEO is too much a word for a "shacho". While what the shacho did to a poor young employee in the video is disgusting, I'm not surprised with his being brutal - it’s showbiz where ego mongers get overly arrogant for their status in the business. You can't generalize this vid as a trait that represents the whole corporate Japan.

Harassment happens anywhere - not only in Japan.
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Agreed. I worked in a coworking space with other small companies and the “talent agency” staff who shared the office space with the rest of us were not the brightest of the bunch. Had an interview with another self proclaimed CEO of his insignificant agency, let’s say the guy told me one of the stupidest things I’ve heard to this day..

I’ve never worked in an old school Japanese company and the nature of my job defies old school in general.
 
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Ken1988 said:
Oh, please. A talent agency is usually a small corporate entity that doesn't have a board. CEO is too much a word for a "shacho". While what the shacho did to a poor young employee in the video is disgusting, I'm not surprised with his being brutal - it’s showbiz where ego mongers get overly arrogant for their status in the business. You can't generalize this vid as a trait that represents the whole corporate Japan.

Harassment happens anywhere - not only in Japan.
Click to expand...

The problem with talent agencies is that they are relatively cheap and easy start up operations. Particularly for something like promoting idols there are loads of cowboy operations run by guys barely older or more experienced in life than their employees. I've worked a lot with promotion companies that promote and book Japanese music overseas so I've had my share of run ins with cowboy operations. When a festival asked me to go find some idols to come play, the business dinners feel really casual and it's like dealing with children when it comes to talking business. Had one particular idol and her management make some ridiculous demands about flying over and accommodating a huge entourage and we had to literally sit them down like 5 year olds and explain how things work. In that case it worked out and they listened but in some cases you get situations where the people running the company do things that harm themselves financially or they give up opportunities just to spite other people who said something they didn't like. Talent agencies are a strange bunch.
 
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