TOKYO – The president of advertising giant Dentsu Inc., Tadashi Ishii, announced on Wednesday that he will step down next month following the turmoil over the excessive working hours at the company that forced a new recruit to kill herself.
Ishii made the announcement at a press conference held in Tokyo after labor authorities sent papers to prosecutors regarding the death of 24-year-old Dentsu recruit Matsuri Takahashi, who committed suicide a year ago.
At the beginning of the press conference, Ishii said: “There was a corporate culture that approved of working unlimited long hours. We want to reconsider all our labor practices.”
The press conference started at 7 p.m. at a hall in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. Ishii and two senior Dentsu officials bowed for about 10 seconds. It was the first time Ishii held a press conference since the death of Takahashi.
Labor standards inspection offices had been giving corrective instructions to the Dentsu headquarters in Tokyo and its branches regarding illegal excessive work hours since 2010. However, the company failed to prevent Takahashi’s suicide.
Ishii said: “I am deeply ashamed of the fact that a young employee killed herself when we have repeatedly been given instructions from authorities.” Ishii said he visited Takahashi’s family home on Sunday – which marked the one-year anniversary of her death – and apologized directly to her family.
Regarding Takahashi’s death, Dentsu Vice President Shoichi Nakamoto said, “Her strong sense of responsibility, as well as the personal relations at her office, made her deeply stressed,” adding, “There were excessive instructions [given to Takahashi], and the allegations of power harassment cannot be denied.”
During the press conference, Dentsu explained that the number of cases of employees surpassing the overtime upper limit stipulated in the labor-management agreement has been declining.
It has become apparent that there were many cases of overtime being underreported, after management checked the times employees entered and left the office. In 2013, there were 5,626 cases of employees actually leaving the office one hour or later than they notified the company they left. In 2015, however, the number increased to 8,222.
The press conference lasted for about 90 minutes, and many questions were asked about the corporate culture of approving of long working hours. When Ishii was asked about a reform plan, he replied, “We will focus on compliance and reexamine the identity of the company,” without elaborating.
There were also questions on the so-called 10 devil rules of the company. This referred to 10 guidelines for Dentsu employees, such as, “Once you start something, don’t let go, even if you’re killed,” and “Drag around those close to you.” The management has decided to remove the rules from employees’ pocket notebooks from next year. Regarding the 10 rules, Ishii said, “I have not had any questions [about the rules].”
The following are excerpts from the press conference.
Q: When did you decide to step down?
Ishii: [I decided] in the past few days. I was able to offer an apology directly to the bereaved family on Sunday. Then I thought about how to take responsibility as a company and made this decision. First of all, I apologized to the bereaved family. Also, I decided to do so after seeing the details of the administrative proceedings.
Q: What do you think of Dentsu’s corporate culture?
Ishii: We were proud of seeking 120 percent, and of not declining any job offer. These are excessive. I failed to put the brakes on the excess at a fundamental level, and I feel responsible for the company’s management.
Q: What is the main cause of the long working hours?
Ishii: I could not take measures against this negative aspect of the corporate culture. There was a lack of consideration by management.
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