Japanese Employment Law Update (By Seiji Kurihara and Natsumi Tonedachi)

In this issue, we provide a summary of a recent case in which the Tokyo Labor Relations Commission determined that delivery workers for a food delivery service platform were protected as “workers” under the Labor Union Act.

We also note another important issue: the Japanese government's cabinet decision on a new bill to strengthen the protection for the freelance workers (Proper Transactions Between Freelance and Business Operators Act). If this proposed new Act is enacted, companies that outsource work to freelancers should review their contracts and practices regarding the engagement of such workers to ensure compliance with new requirements.