Proposing biblical labor reform
Reforming work practices (hatarakikata kaikaku) was debated in the most recent session of Japan’s National Diet. Many issues need to be addressed in regard to Japan’s modern labor force: shortening long working hours, reducing the wage gap between permanent and temporary employees, and encouraging older people to engage in work.
The Abe administration has been advocating a discretionary labor system as one way to improve working conditions. Under this system, wages would be paid according to a fixed number of hours, irrespective of the actual hours worked. Although the idea is that this would allow people to work at their own discretion, workers would not get paid extra even if they did a lot of overtime and there is a risk that companies might abuse the system.
In the midst of all this, Tsuyoshi Sakai, a management consultant with 25 years of accounting experience, is proposing workplace reform based on the Bible. He previously worked for an exploitative “black” company, where corporate compliance was not taken seriously and overwork and harassment were common. In April 2017, following this experience, he founded a consulting firm called Burning Spirits Corporation (www.burningspirits2017.com; Japanese only) based on the conviction that “it’s essential to improve financial stability and operational efficiency in order to improve the lives of workers, so that they can live as humans.”
At a meeting of Christian business people on 16 March in Hachioji, Tokyo, Sakai related his story and discussed Japan’s labor problems.
“I worked at a foreign-owned black company from 2009 to 2013. I was initially full of energy and hope that I could work hard and change the situation, but my enthusiasm gradually dissipated and I started to feel powerless. That’s why I became interested in workstyle reform. After Japan’s economic bubble burst in the early 1990s, companies began cutting labor costs. That led to the collapse of lifetime employment and seniority-based wage systems, acceleration of personnel cuts, a focus on results, more non-regular employees and more people changing jobs. The combination of these changes produced black companies. Nowadays, many corporations adopt a “player-manager” system due to labor shortages—as soon as an employee rises to the middle management level, they’re suddenly made a hands-on boss without proper training. It’s a difficult situation, so they tend to get depressed.”
How then do we promote labor reform? Sakai offers some suggestions from the Bible.
“First, we need to appoint leaders. As we see in Exodus, God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Second, delegate authority. In Exodus 18, Moses selected capable, honest, godly men, appointing them as leaders over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Leaders cannot do everything themselves, and this approach is still applicable within organizations today.”
According to Sakai, the ultimate workstyle reform would restore broken relationships. Citing Romans 12:4–5 and 1 Corinthians 12:12, he said, “We can apply these verses to the workplace. Just as the parts of our bodies have different functions, employees have different roles within a company. Nine Hideki Matsuis wouldn’t make a good baseball team—teamwork is more important than individual skills.”
Sakai’s conversion story is interesting. In 2000, he joined Tokyo Voices of Praise, a gospel choir based at Chofu-Minami Christ Church. At the time, he had no intention of becoming a Christian. He felt people pushing him to get baptized, but for nine years he just wanted to be left alone. A change came in 2009 with a new job. Sakai vowed he would go to church if he got the job, and he kept his word. (It was with the exploitative company previously mentioned; he notes that it was the first time he’d faced the real meaning of work.) It was two years before Sakai finally got baptized, but he says, “I had a firm conviction of having been forgiven through Jesus’ death on the cross.”
Sakai’s dream now is to launch study groups on labor reform in Tokyo churches for both Christians and non-Christians. “It would be great if those who are weary of black companies could come to church for these study groups, and we could help to prevent suicides. I hope to establish this ministry in all 23 wards of Tokyo.”
From Christian Shimbun, April 8 and 15, 2018
Translated by Nobue Tachiki