The Fukuoka District Court ruled that Japan Post’s dismissal of a delivery worker was invalid, finding that the worker had no intent to drive under the influence. The ruling could affect the application of disciplinary standards and the company’s future response.
On the night of 27 February 2023, the worker drank chūhai and other alcoholic beverages at home. The following morning, 28 February, the worker was driving a private vehicle when it rear-ended a vehicle stopped at a traffic light, causing a personal-injury accident. Alcohol was detected at 0.53 mg per liter of breath. The worker was dismissed for disciplinary reasons in January 2024 following the 2023 accident.
In its ruling, the Fukuoka District Court noted that the company’s disciplinary standard applies to intentional drunk driving, and that the implementation of training on residual alcohol and other measures had not been assessed using objective figures. The plaintiff’s attorney said the ruling provided a degree of direction on drawing the line between eliminating drunk driving and protecting workers’ rights. Japan Post indicated that it intends to appeal.
Last year, the company was found to have failed to conduct proper roll calls for delivery workers, and the government revoked its freight transport business permits for some vehicles. The ruling also stated that it was difficult to find that efforts to eliminate the problem had been thoroughly implemented.