Japan plans to review law to protect freelancers

The planned new law will seek to improve the conditions of transactions in which freelancers are involved by requiring companies or organisations that assign work to freelancers to make appropriate payments, for example.

The government unveiled the outline of the bill and started a public comment process on September 13. 

The new bill will require companies or organisations that assign work to freelancers to explicitly state the work commissioned and the fee in writing such as in a document or an email. It will also require them to pay freelancers within 60 days of the freelancers having completed the work.

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In addition, it will prohibit them from paying freelancers lesser fees than the amount they initially agreed upon or returning finished products that freelancers supplied when there is no fault with the work. 

The new law will also ask companies or organisations to take measures regarding work-related harassment. It will also ask companies or organisations to be considerate of freelancers who combine work with childrearing or care for ageing parents, according to The Asahi Shimbun.