Japanese Literary Awards

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Haruki Konno

こんの はるき

Konno Haruki

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1983-01-01 （Sendai, Miyagi, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
labor activist, sociologist, NPO director, author
Active Years
2006-
Affiliations
POSSE (NPO) — Representative Director, Black Company Countermeasure Project — Co-representative
Influenced By
Koji Morioka
Influenced
Young labor activists and civic movement organizers

Education

Chuo University
Faculty of Law / Labor Law (department)
Degree: 学士
Country: Japan
Graduated from Chuo University Faculty of Law
Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of Social Sciences
Graduate School of Social Sciences / Sociology (completed doctoral program)
Degree: 博士（社会学）
Country: Japan
Earned a PhD in Sociology (completed doctoral program)

Awards

Daibutsu Jiro Forum Prize
2013
Work: Black Companies: The Monster Devouring Japan
Organization: Asahi Shimbun (Daibutsu Jiro Forum Prize)
Result: winner
U-Can New and Buzzword Awards (Top 10)
2013
Work: The term 'Black Company'
Organization: U-Can (Jiyu Kokuminsha)
Result: top10
Japan Labor Sociology Society Encouragement Award
2014
Work: Black Company Business; Welfare: The Hidden Terrifying Sites
Organization: Japan Labor Sociology Society
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Black Companies: The Monster Devouring Japan

2012 Non-fiction / Investigative reportage

Based on labor consultations and field research, analyzes the reality and structure of so-called 'black companies' in Japan and frames them as a societal problem.

labor issuesblack companiesyouth employment

Black Company Business

2013 Non-fiction / Social criticism

Examines the business structures and tactics that sustain 'black companies', analyzing them from economic and social perspectives.

corporate managementillegal labor practicesregulation and countermeasures

Black Part-time Jobs: Students Are at Risk

2016 Non-fiction / Social issues

Exposes harsh working conditions faced by student part-timers ('black baito'), discussing causes and possible responses.

student laboryouth povertylabor law education

Bibliography

  • Practical Labor Law
  • Black Companies: The Monster Devouring Japan
  • Black Company Business
  • Black Part-time Jobs: Students Are at Risk
  • Genealogy of Wage Labor

Style & Themes

Literary Style
expositoryinvestigative reportageuse of persuasive case studies
Recurring Motifs
making labor visibleyouth livelihoods and employmentholding corporations accountable

Legacy

Through fieldwork-based advocacy he helped bring the issue of 'black companies' into public discourse, influencing policy discussion and mobilizing movements to improve youth working conditions.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Labor Sociology Society
  • Japanese Sociological Association

In Popular Culture

  • Often cited as a catalyst for popularizing the term 'black company' in public discourse

Quotes

  • 'Black Companies' played a role in sparking recognition of the issue alongside karoshi and working poor as social problems.
    Source: Koji Morioka (commentary) (2014)

Trivia

  • Founded POSSE (NPO) in 2006 and serves as representative director
  • Won the Daibutsu Jiro Forum Prize in 2013 for 'Black Companies'
  • Received a warning letter from Fast Retailing (UNIQLO) regarding his book
  • Was targeted by mass defamatory emails leading to a police investigation