Public Lecture “The Significance and Function of the Equal Pay for Equal Work Principle: A Comparative Study of Japan and France” Sept. 25 (Fri.)

Public lecture co-hosted by the Institute of Comparative Law, Waseda University

“The Significance and Function of the Equal Pay for Equal Work Principle: A Comparative Study of Japan and France”

【Date and Time】 Friday, September 25, 2026, 14:00 – 17:00

【Venue】 Waseda University, Waseda Campus, Building 8, 3^rd Floor, Room 313

【Host】 JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) Grant Number 25K04797, Principle Investigator: Yoichi Shimada (Professor Emeritus, Waseda University)

【Lecturers】 Pascal Lokiec (Professeur, Universitéde Paris I (Professor, University of Paris I))
Yoichi Shimada (Professor Emeritus, Waseda University)

【Discussants】 Yuichiro Mizumachi (Professor, Waseda University), Makoto Ishida (Professor Emeritus, Waseda University)

【Moderator】 Hisashi Takeuchi (Professor, Waseda University)

【Audience】 Students, faculty and staff, and the general public are welcome to attend.

【Language】　French and Japanese (interpretation will be provided)

◆There is no advance registration. Please come directly to the venue.

【Symposium Overview】

In Japan, “equal pay for equal work” has been introduced as a slogan to drive legal policies aimed at correcting disparities between regular and non-regular workers, and it has achieved a certain level of social recognition. However, when viewed as a legal norm, a consensus on its specific content has not

necessarily been reached, largely because Japan’s wage system is not traditionally based on job content. In contrast, this principle is well-established in French society due to the widespread use of industry-wide collective bargaining agreements. While the elimination of social discrimination and the enforcement of “equal pay for equal work” for workers corresponding to Japan’s non-regular workforce are achieved through legislation, the general principle itself has been established as a legal norm through judicial precedents. As such, significant differences can be observed in the significance and function of this principle between the two nations. This symposium aims to deepen our understanding of the “equal pay for equal work” principle as a legal norm by comparing its significance and function in both Japan and France.

Time Schedule

Link to Japanese page