"「アップリンク」パワハラ訴訟で和解成立　元従業員5人が6月に提訴", 30 Oct 2020

[Japanese-to-English translation provided by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.]

...On 30 October 2020, legal representatives of UPLINK's former employees and the company president, [Takashi ] Asai, announced that they had reached a settlement.

The agreement covered eight points, including the following:

• The plaintiffs will drop their lawsuit.
• The defendants will apologise to the plaintiffs, acknowledging that their harassment caused mental distress and was disrespectful. The defendants will pay damages to the plaintiffs (amount undisclosed).
• The defendants will organise meetings with company employees every three months.
• In 2021 the defendants will sell a portion of Mr. Asai's UPLINK shares to an entity outside the company. In addition, the defendants will establish a board of directors with at least one member who is an external stakeholder.
• In November 2020, the defendants will establish a third-party committee that is independent of the board of directors. The committee will investigate harassment and compliance issues and report its findings to the board of directors.

...President Asai posted a report about the settlement on the UPLINK website...In the document, he stated that:

1. An outside expert will develop a system for employees to discuss their concerns;
2. The company will establish a reporting system/hotline for employees;
3. The company will establish a third-party committee;
4. The company will reform its internal system and conduct regular meetings with staff; and
5. He will participate in anger management seminars and counseling.