Japan plans to lift restrictions on women working underground in places such as tunnels and mines, Labor Ministry officials have announced.
A panel of experts commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare was expected to deliver its report Tuesday recommending an end to the ban, the Asahi Shimbun reported Tuesday.
The ban on working underground has been in place for about 60 years to protect women from poor working environments. Panel sources say improvements in building technologies that can control temperatures and reduce harmful dust make the ban unnecessary.
In addition, for the increasing numbers of female engineers, being able to work on site is crucial.
A Labor Ministry council will decide if the ban should be lifted only for female engineers or whether all women should be permitted to work underground.
The ministry plans to submit a bill to remove the ban from the Labor Standards Law at a regular session of Parliament next year. The revision is expected to take effect in April 2007.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
