Konami Reportedly Blacklisting Ex-Employees Across Japanese Video Game Industry (arstechnica.com)

The Nikkei Asian Review newspaper is reporting that the Japanese entertainment company Konami is blacklisting former employees in the Japanese video game industry. "The company is particularly targeting those who work for Kojima Productions, which was founded in 2016 by Hideo Kojima, who used to be a top designer at Konami," reports Ars Technica. From the report: Furthermore, according to the article, Konami is pressuring other companies not to hire its former employees. As the Nikkei Asian Review wrote: "One ex-Kon described his surprise at learning that Konami had instructed an employee at a television company not to deal with its former employees. In another case, a former Konami executive was forced to close his business due to pressure from the gaming giant. Ex-Kons are not allowed to put their Konami experience on their public resumes. 'If you leave the company, you cannot rely on Konami's name to land a job,' explained a former employee. If an ex-Kon is interviewed by the media, the company will send that person a letter through a legal representative, in some cases indicating that Konami is willing to take them to court."

Comments

Obvious solution:

[Gravis Zero]

Just use the Konami code to get infinite money. ;)

Re:Obvious solution:

[crypticedge]

yeah, this would fall foul of so many laws in the us its not even funny.

google and apple got hit a few years back for trying to prevent their former workers from being hired at tech places if they left. They had a quite substantial fine for that one.

Wish they'd put that much effort into their games

[Anonymous Coward]

If Konami put half as much effort into developing their games as they apparently do into harassing their former employees, maybe they wouldn't get so much hate from gamers.

Re:Wish they'd put that much effort into their gam

[Vermonter]

Maybe it doesn't feel like it in the US, but their Bemani division (the division that produces all of their rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution, Pop'n Music, Beatmania IIDX, etc) seems to be doing quite well. Beatmania IIDX just came out with it's 24th arcade installment this year and shows no signs of stopping.

is that lawful in Japan?

[muphin]

i dont live in Japan, but would like to know the legalities of this, a company preventing an ex-employee employment?

Re:is that lawful in Japan?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not only lawful, it's not that uncommon a business practice. Konami is just being more open about it than most.

Japanese companies really feel that their employees are belongings more than people, although they'll try to phrase as 'in the family' or such. By leaving, you've betrayed Konami, stealing the experience you gathered working for them. You're trading on Konami's reputation and past works to benefit yourself - and Konami, like many Japanese companies, will not hesitate to get revenge.

Back in the 90s, it wouldn't be uncommon for a company to call up the new employer of an ex-employee and say something like "We have nothing to do with this individual's child pornography habits" or "We can confirm that the employee was never actually convicted of embezzlement". And, unsurprisingly, the ex-employee would often lost their new job. Even the rumor of a scandal could cost jobs, and with the personal ties between companies (from mom-and-pop shops to the great zaibatsu) being blacklisted in one place often meant losing access to dozens or hundreds of companies, or even entire industries.

Re: is that lawful in Japan?

[bursch-X]

Well, that's not how it works in Japan. If you don't have anything good to say in Japan, you'll find something good to say. You usually don't say anything bad. You just praise something less related. So it would be very hard to she anyone for libel, because all they do is praise some unrelated qualities and that is a clear red flag to anyone praying attention.

Re:is that lawful in Japan?

[Neo-Rio-101]

Probably isn't legal, but that has never stopped Japanese companies pushing the boundaries of labour laws, and bullying their employees.

If you leave a traditionally minded Japanese company, they will bully you into staying. They will haul you into a meeting and scold you.
Then they will say things like "Why are you leaving the company! You can't! You still have work to do!"
And then say things like "After you leave and go to this other place, are you OK that we send you your unfinished work?"

Ridiculous of course to the western ear... but to the Japanese ear who has no spine and has been bullied all the way through school - some actually can't handle the pressure and the bullying and apologize and stay with the company! ... even when they've been offered better work!
If they stay, they get treated like backstabbing traitorous unfaithful dirt and paid less from what I heard.

Re:is that lawful in Japan?

[Neo-Rio-101]

Mod Parent up.

The thing is that many employees who quit usually don't make a formal announcement that they are leaving, but instead will simply stop showing up to work... leaving no message to the old company and leaving no paper trail. Possibly changing phone numbers and rental apartment addresses before starting a new job so the old company can't track them.

That's how you avoid uncomfortable meetings with managers when you tell them you are leaving.

Re:is that lawful in Japan?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not only lawful, it's not that uncommon a business practice. Konami is just being more open about it than most.

Being common business practice doesn't make it lawful. Japan has labor laws comparable to other advanced economies - weaker than Europe certainly, but stronger than the US's "at will" employment. The problem is a cultural aversion to rocking the boat and demanding the legal rights that they should have.

Re:is that lawful in Japan?

[Anonymous Coward]

Remember, human resources are resources first and humans second.

Re:is that lawful in Japan?

[Neo-Rio-101]

The Japanese recruiter I spoke to said that he had to coach the leaving employees into resisting the bullying by being super polite. It is of course completely legal to change jobs, and the bullying is really a paper tiger tactic - but it obviously works because some Japanese really don't have a spine. I think this breed is only a step up from the "hikkikomori" who are too scared to leave their bedrooms.

Legally you have to give companies two weeks notice before leaving, so to be on the safe side they recommend giving them an entire month.

That said, many employees do a disappearing act because it's easier than facing the music and telling the boss that you're leaving.

They didn't think this through

[mfh]

The answer to this puzzle is simply not to ever work for them. Surely then they will just go bankrupt and disappear, since the best people wouldn't dare join them in fear of similar activity if it doesn't go well.

Do you ever want to work somewhere you can't be fired from?

Re: useless company

[Desler]

Konami was founded in 1969. The fuck are you on about?

Simple solution

[LeftCoastThinker]

Apply for asylum in the US and start indie game shops here... I have many fond memories of classic Konami games: Contra, Castlevania, Belmonts Quest, Life Force (Salamander), Contra: Alien Wars, Gradius III, TMNT 4: Turtles in Time, etc. Make some updated, new games on the same concept with Unreal engine 2D graphics and put it up on steam and sell a few million copies at $9.99 a pop.