A young woman from Myanmar, who came to Japan seeking work, has filed a lawsuit against a well-known ramen restaurant chain. She claims the company unjustly deducted money from her wages, leaving her with nothing in her first month. The 28-year-old worker is seeking about 1.7 million Japanese Yen, which is roughly 432,000 Thai Baht, in back pay and compensation.
This case, reported by Japanese news outlets on July 4, 2025, centers on a dispute with Mitsuyado Seimen. The lawsuit was officially filed in Tokyo District Court on June 16, 2025. It highlights the struggles faced by some foreign workers in the country.
A Broken Promise
The worker arrived in Japan in late January 2025. She came under a special visa program called “Specific Skilled Worker.” This program helps fill job shortages in certain industries across Japan. She secured a job at a Mitsuyado Seimen ramen shop in Tokyo.
Her job contract promised a basic salary, including overtime, of about 250,000 Yen each month. That’s roughly 63,500 Thai Baht. After typical deductions like insurance and housing, she expected to take home nearly 180,000 Yen, or about 45,700 Thai Baht.
However, when her first actual paycheck came in March, something was very wrong. The company had deducted all the money for housing costs they had paid upfront. This left her with a shocking zero Yen in her bank account for the month.
Things didn’t get much better. In April, she received only 40,000 Yen, around 9,600 Thai Baht. By May, her pay went up to 120,000 Yen, about 28,800 Thai Baht, but it was still far less than what she expected.
The Stand and Departure
The company then suggested she quit her job. They also asked her to return the money for her housing costs. She refused to do either. Because she stood her ground, the company continued to deduct money from her wages. She asked them to fix the issue, but her requests were ignored. Finally, she had no choice but to leave her job on June 15, 2025.
Lawyers who help foreign workers in Japan say this kind of deduction is clearly against Japanese labor laws. Employers cannot take money from a worker’s salary without their clear agreement. The company, which runs 22 Mitsuyado Seimen branches both in Japan and overseas, told the worker’s legal team its reason for wanting her to leave. They claimed she simply “did not understand” the training content.
The outcome of this lawsuit could set an important example for how foreign workers are treated under special visa programs, shining a light on their rights and vulnerabilities.
Source: Mainichi