Learn in the textbookLabor-Related Laws and Regulations
DefinitionThe Labor Standards Act (労働基準法) sets minimum standards for working conditions such as wages, working hours, days off and leave, and punishes employers who violate them.
ExplanationAny part of a labor contract that sets conditions below these standards is void, and the legal standard applies in its place. The statutory working hours are in principle 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, and having people work beyond them requires a separately defined procedure. Labor Standards Inspection Offices are set up in each region to check that the standards are kept.
AnalogyIt is like a line drawn under working conditions that says "never go below here", and a company that crosses it gets penalized.
Memory hookThink of "standards" as a ruler: one law that measures the minimum line for every company with the same ruler, whatever its circumstances.