"セクハラ訴えたら「隙がある」と非難され雇い止め…ジャフコの問題受け、ファンド出資4社が適切な対応を要請,"13 December 2024

[Unofficial description by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

A female contract employee at the prominent venture capital firm JAFCO Group Co., Ltd. experienced sexual violence during her time at the company, including being pressured into infidelity and subjected to inappropriate sexual remarks. When she reported the abuse, the human resources department criticised her for being "vulnerable," and the then-president dismissed her concerns, stating, "It's because female employees have been putting up with it." Following her report, she was pressured to resign. The woman asserts that her dismissal was unfair.

The woman reached out to seven companies that invest in funds managed by JAFCO Group, requesting their intervention. Among them, four companies—Chugoku Electric Power Company, Inc. , Chudenko Corp, Azbil Corp, and INTEC Inc.—urged JAFCO Group to take appropriate action. However, the government-affiliated financial institutions, Development Bank of Japan Inc. and Moriroku Holdings Co, Ltd., declined to respond, while Hokkaido Electric Power Co.,Inc. failed to reply by the deadline.