No company at the location…whistleblower! A “black company” is in charge of the “Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s Workplace Reform Promotion Project.

We visited labor standards inspectors in western Japan and held seminars to promote reforms in the way we work. We worked 15 to 16 hours a day. When I heard the lecturer at the seminar say, ‘Why don’t we review the long working hours that have become the norm and aim to eliminate labor shortages and improve productivity?’ I laughed inside my chest and said, ‘What a joke.

Mr. A, who runs a company in Osaka, expressed his indignation.

The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) defines its “work style reforms” as reforms to enable people to choose diverse and flexible work styles that suit their individual circumstances.

The “Workplace Workplace Reform Law” went into effect in July 2018, and in February 2022, a competitive bidding process was held for the “Project to Hold Briefing Sessions for Workplaces Notifying Workers of 36 Agreements in Reiwa 2022,” and Apex International, a travel agency, won the bid for 127,160,000 yen. Starting in September 2022, briefings were held at labor standards inspectors’ offices around the country as part of the “Workplace Reform Law” to explain the latest amendments to the law and the upper limits on overtime hours.

Mr. A. “It seems that KENTO in Asakusa was subcontracted by Apex, and Mr. Toshiharu Saito of the company asked me for business cooperation, saying, ‘I need your help with a job; it’s a job worth 8 to 10 million yen.

Mr. A was in charge of the western Japan region and managed online briefings at labor standards inspectors’ offices in various regions. Last year’s handbook shows that the following weekdays were filled to the brim: “October 6, Okayama-Tsuyama; October 7, Hiroshima Hiroshima City; October 11, Kagoshima-Kirishima; October 12, Hiroshima Miyoshi; October 13, Yamaguchi Shimonoseki; October 14, Kochi-Kochi; October 17, Tokushima-Tokushima City; October 18, Hiroshima Hatsukaichi; October 19, Okayama Okayama City; October 21, Kagoshima Kagoshima City; October 24, Osaka Chuo; and October 26, Hyogo Itami. The weekdays were packed.

However, when the work actually began, and when we applied to Mr. Saito for transportation, lodging, and other expenses, we lost communication with him. In addition to this, “things that differed from the initial arrangement continued,” he said.

What was surprising was that KENTO had not obtained approval for a worker dispatch business. Perhaps that’s why they told me, ‘Make your own business card based on the format of Apex’s business cards. I pointed out that this would be in violation of the law, but they ignored me. The seminar is from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., but there is also preparation and cleanup before and after. I worked hard, taking the last train to the next city, but some of my wages remained unpaid. It’s a mess,” said Mr. A.

In order to speak with Mr. Saito of KENTO, this magazine visited the apartment in Taito Ward that was written on his business card, but no one was there and there was no sign on the nameplate. When we checked the company’s registration at the Legal Affairs Bureau in Taito Ward, there was nothing on the nameplate.

It turned out that “KENTO” and “Shunji Saito” were registered in Toshima Ward. A visit to the address of the office revealed it to be that of a nail salon.

He said, “I’ve been renting this office for eight years, but I don’t know such a company. He is also not related to our company, so I don’t know him 100%.”

They denied it.

We went to the apartment listed as Saito’s address in the registry, but the landlord, who lived on the first floor, said, “Who is it? 　A woman has been living there for the past two years; it shouldn’t be occupied by two people, and it’s not big enough for a one-room apartment,” another denial.

What on earth is going on? I rang Mr. Saito’s cell phone to get confirmation.

–Is he working under the name of Apex?

Saito replied, “Well, I do, in part, work as a part-time receptionist. Yes, partly, partly.”

–Your company is not registered with the Legal Affairs Bureau in Taito-ku, Tokyo.

Yes, yes, because we have not moved our articles of incorporation. It is in Minami Ikebukuro. We have not applied for a change of address. We have not reported the move.”

The caller hung up, citing that he was busy, and could not be reached after that.

When we asked the Labor Standards Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for their opinion, they responded, “We cannot give an answer on individual cases.

We will refrain from giving answers on individual cases, but we believe that this project should be carried out properly in accordance with laws and regulations. （We have not received any report from Apex (regarding KENTO being a subcontractor or its actual status), and are not aware of it. We shall confirm the facts.

In general, we believe that long working hours are undesirable and that there should be no non-payment of wages. Therefore, if there is a violation of the Labor Standards Law, we will take action at the Labor Standards Inspection Office that has jurisdiction over the company.

The reform of the way of working is aimed at curbing long working hours to achieve work-life balance and ensuring fair treatment of non-regular workers. It is ironic that the exact opposite is happening at the feet of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which is pushing for these reforms.