A district court in Kyoto has ruled that an industrial doctor at video game giant Nintendo Co. carried out power harassment against two nurses and ordered the firm to pay a total of JPY 200,000 (about USD 1,229) in damages on 27 February, reports The Mainichi. Power harassment is when someone of in a position of greater power uses their position to harass co-workers.

The two female nurses had been dispatched to the Kyoto-based game company as part of a programme leading to regular employment. They filed a lawsuit with the Kyoto District Court, claiming that they were unfairly denied employment because their relationship with their boss had deteriorated, even though they had been subjected to power harassment by him. They sought confirmation of their status as employees and compensation for damages from Nintendo. The court acknowledged power harassment, but rejected the claim that their regular employment was unfairly denied, saying that the company's refusal was "not unreasonable."

According to the ruling, the plaintiffs had worked at Nintendo's HR department since April 2018. They were involved in health check-ups and other duties, but five months later the company told the temporary staffing agency that dispatched the nurses that it would not employ them on a regular basis because they had "failed to establish a smooth cooperative framework with the physician." The court ruled that the industrial doctor ignored the plaintiffs at work and told them, "I'll give you instructions by email," without even greeting them, which constituted power harassment. The court also determined that Nintendo was liable as an employer.