Japan’s Supreme Court has ruled in favour of a whistleblower for the first time in a case that highlighted the harsh treatment outspoken employees have endured in a nation which zealously values loyalty and conformity.
Despite being a good salesman with experience in the US, Masaharu Hamada, 51 (pictured), was demoted at Olympus, forced to take rudimentary tests and ignored by colleagues, in what he alleged was reprisal for raising the issue of supplier complaints.
Yesterday he received a notice from the court, dated Thursday, dismissing the appeal by the Tokyo-based camera and medical equipment maker against a 2010 lower court decision.
It sealed the victory of the little ‘salaryman’ against a giant of Japan Inc.
Six held over foiled hijack
Six suspects arrested over a foiled plane hijack in the far-western Xinjiang region are all Uighur men, Chinese state media reported, adding to ethnic tension in the region days ahead of the third anniversary of deadly riots. State media said the arrested men tried to hijack a plane heading for the regional capital of Urumqi, but their efforts were thwarted by passengers and flight crew. Four crew members were injured.
The plane carrying 92 passengers and nine crew returned safely to Hotan city, according to operator Tianjin Airlines.
13 killed in the Philippines
The Philippine army has said it killed at least 13 communist rebels during two separate clashes in the biggest loss for the guerrillas in a single day this year.
The army said two rebels were killed and one was captured in a clash between soldiers and about a dozen guerrillas in Zambales province west of Manila, and at least 11 were killed in a second encounter with 15 guerrillas in Quezon province south-east of the capital.
The military said villagers informed troops of the presence of New People’s Army guerrillas near their communities. More than a dozen rebel firearms were recovered.
Government and rebel negotiators failed last week to agree to resume talks on ending the 42-year-old insurgency.
Apple victory over Galaxy
An American judge has ordered Samsung to halt US sales of its Galaxy Nexus smartphone while the court considers Apple’s claim that the South Korean company infringed its patents.
In Apple’s second victory in a week against Android devices, the US District Court of Northern California said the Galaxy Nexus smartphone “likely” infringes four patents held by Apple, including one used in the “Siri” voice-activated assistance available in the iPhone 4S.
“Apple has clearly shown that it is likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary injunctive relief,” Judge Lucy Koh said in her ruling.