The former D-up Corp. employee, whose suicide was recognized as due to power harassment by the company president, is seen in this photo provided by her bereaved family.
TOKYO — The suicide of a cosmetics retail employee, then 25, was recognized by the Mita Labor Standards Inspection Office as work-related and due to the company president’s power harassment, the Mainichi Shimbun has learned.
The bereaved family of the former employee of Tokyo-based D-up Corp. held a press conference on April 3 and made the information public. The president’s remarks, including calling the woman a “stray dog,” were determined to be instances of power harassment.
According to a lawyer representing the family, the employee, named Satomi, joined the company in April 2021. She was summoned by the president in December of the same year, and was criticized for her general work attitude for about 50 minutes. The president reportedly made remarks attacking her personality, such as, “Don’t mess with us adults,” and, “You’re what they call a stray dog.” On another occasion, the president told her, “Barking dogs seldom bite, you know.”
Satomi developed depression in January 2022 and took a leave of absence. She attempted to kill herself in August 2022 while recuperating at home, and passed away about a year later. The Mita Labor Standards Inspection Office reportedly concluded in May 2024 that her depression was caused by the president’s power harassment and recognized a causal link to her death.
In a press conference, Satomi’s older sister, Yuko, stated, “Satomi was a cheerful person and prioritized others over herself. I hope things like this never happen again.”
The family has filed a lawsuit seeking damage compensation from D-up, but the company reportedly argued that “there were issues with Satomi’s work attitude” and is denying that power harassment took place.
(Japanese original by Kotaro Adachi and Kumiko Yasumoto, Tokyo City News Department)
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