Photo/Illutration The sister of a woman who died after power harassment by the president of D-up Corp. attends a news conference with lawyers on Sept. 11 in Tokyo’s Kasumigaseki district. (Saori Kuroda)

The president of a Tokyo-based cosmetics manufacturer has resigned and will pay compensation to the bereaved family of an employee who died following his power harassment.

Together with the company, D-up Corp., which produces the “D-UP” brand, Mitsuru Sakai will pay 150 million yen ($1.02 million) in settlement money, the family said at a news conference on Sept. 11.

The woman was 25 years old when she died.

Her family had sued Sakai and the company for damages.

The Tokyo District Court on Sept. 9 issued a “decision in lieu of settlement,” which included payment of settlement money and the company’s implementation of measures to prevent a recurrence.

Both sides accepted the decision, and the lawsuit has ended.

According to the family, the woman joined D-up in April 2021.

In December that year, she was summoned to a meeting with Sakai over certain actions, including going directly to a client without permission.

He called her a “stray dog” and harshly scolded her throughout the lengthy meeting.

The following day, he told her, “A weaker dog barks louder.”

She was diagnosed as having depression in January 2022.

In August that year, she tried to kill herself, but the attempt initially failed. She remained unconscious until October and then died.

In May 2024, the Mita labor standards inspection office recognized a causal link between the president’s power harassment, her depression, and her death. It certified the death as a work-related accident.

“Years have passed since my sister died, so an apology now doesn’t fully sit right with me,” the woman’s elder sister said at the news conference. “The court result is good, but I wanted (the company and the president) to apologize while she was alive.”

D-up released a statement on its website, saying the president has been replaced.

“We apologize to our former employee who passed away and to her family. We will work to review and improve our internal systems and workplace environment,” it said.

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