Kazuo Inamori

Brought in to chair Japan Airlines after its bankruptcy, Inamori oversaw an exceptionally severe restructuring. Amid major workforce reductions, 165 pilots and cabin crew were compulsorily dismissed in late 2010. Employees brought proceedings challenging the necessity and selection criteria, turning these dismissals into a prolonged labour dispute.

Legal status — source text

District and High Courts upheld the dismissals; Supreme Court appeals ultimately rejected

Attribution

Direct governance responsibility as JAL Chairman; no personal criminal wrongdoing

JAL's remarkable recovery under Inamori also prompted controversy over the fairness of its rescue. The company had received 350 billion yen in public funds, benefited from substantial debt relief and could use the general tax-loss carry-forward regime before relisting. Lawmakers and competitors argued that this combination gave it an exceptional advantage.

Legal status — source text

No finding of illegality against Inamori

Before JAL's stock-market relisting, Kyocera—a company founded by Inamori—subscribed 5 billion yen to a private share issue. Lawmakers and media outlets noted that the shares' value could almost double upon listing and questioned whether a company closely linked to JAL's Chairman had been given an advantage.

Inamori acknowledged acting as an intermediary in the merger between the Democratic Party of Japan and Ichirō Ozawa's Liberal Party. Following an initial failed attempt, he said he had "desperately persuaded" Naoto Kan and Ozawa and helped arrange the necessary meetings, hoping to encourage a two-party political system capable of alternation in government.

After taking over struggling telecommunications manufacturer Cybernet, Kyocera inherited a union described as highly militant. Repeated strikes and street protests took place; leaflets accusing Kyocera of exploitation were posted around its headquarters and Inamori's home, while publicity vehicles publicly labelled him a "dishonest employer".

Three years after Kyocera was founded, eleven young secondary-school graduates presented Inamori with a list of demands seeking regular pay rises and guaranteed bonuses, threatening to resign collectively. Inamori's official archives state that overtime had become routine and that some employees were occasionally required to work on Sundays. Discussions lasted three days.