- On Aug. 5, NHK admitted that its mishandling of a transfer request from an employee who had been sexually assaulted by a program guest triggered post-traumatic stress disorder in the victim.
- NHK apologized to the employee, admitting its inappropriate response and failure to recognize the event as a serious human rights violation.
- NHK Vice President Hiroo Yamana expressed deep regret and apologized, stating that the response placed an additional burden on the employee and had a major impact on their career.
- More than three years after the assault, the employee was finally moved to one of the requested departments, and a diagnosis of PTSD was made later.
- The investigation found that human resources officials never consulted the risk management department, and NHK’s president and executives only learned of the full situation in April 2024 after the employee filed a grievance through a labor union.
- The assault occurred after the employee attended a social gathering with the program guest and other people; deteriorating health forced the employee to take a leave of absence.
- Over a year after the incident, the employee reported the assault and strongly requested a transfer, with both the employee’s personal doctor and an NHK occupational physician recommending it, but NHK officials rejected the request, insisting that returning to the same workplace was standard procedure.
NHK's admission on Aug. 5 revealed that its mishandling of a transfer request from an employee who suffered sexual assault by a program guest resulted in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for the victim. The employee, after the assault, took a leave of absence and requested a transfer to a different workplace, but NHK officials denied the request, citing standard procedure.156111213
The employee's health deteriorated, leading to a diagnosis of PTSD. NHK Vice President Hiroo Yamana expressed regret, stating, “It is deeply regrettable that an employee suffered sexual harm in connection with their work.” He acknowledged that the network's response added to the employee's burden and impacted their career.34
The assault occurred after the employee attended a social gathering with the program guest. Over a year later, the employee reported the incident and requested special consideration for a transfer, emphasizing that returning to the same department would worsen their mental health. Both the employee's personal doctor and an NHK occupational physician recommended the transfer, but NHK officials rejected it.910
It wasn't until more than three years after the assault that the employee was finally moved to one of the requested departments. The investigation revealed that human resources never consulted the risk management department about the incident, and NHK's executives only learned of the full situation in April 2024 after the employee filed a grievance through a labor union.78
“NHK Vice President Hiroo Yamana said the response placed an additional burden on the employee and had a major impact on their career. The investigation found HR officials never consulted risk management, and executives only learned of the situation in April 2024 after a labor union grievance.”
