▁workers ▁conver ged ▁on ▁a ▁" New ▁Year ' s ▁H aken ▁T ent ▁Village " ▁in ▁H ib i ya ▁Park ▁in ▁central ▁Tokyo . ▁Well - known ▁lawyer ▁and ▁consumer ▁advoc ate ▁Ken ji ▁U ts un omi ya ▁was ▁declared ▁the ▁" hon or ary ▁mayor " ▁of ▁the ▁village . ▁According ▁to ▁the ▁organ izing ▁committee , ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁workers ▁were ▁in ▁poor ▁physical ▁condition , ▁and ▁eight ▁were ▁hospital ized ▁with ▁p neum onia . ▁In ▁response , ▁some ▁companies ▁res c ind ed ▁their ▁early ▁lay offs , ▁or ▁at ▁least ▁agreed ▁to ▁allow ▁temporary ▁workers ▁to ▁continue ▁living ▁in ▁company ▁d orm itories ▁until ▁the ▁period ▁of ▁their ▁contract s . ▁But ▁the ▁w ides p read ▁public ▁per ception ▁that ▁large ▁corpor ations ▁had ▁failed ▁to ▁live ▁up ▁to ▁their ▁social ▁respons ib ilities ▁led ▁to ▁calls ▁for ▁reform ▁of ▁the ▁labor ▁laws . ▁In ▁February , ▁the ▁Tokyo ▁Bar ▁Association ▁issued ▁a ▁ 1 0 - point ▁statement ▁calling ▁for ▁re forms ▁such ▁as ▁rest oration ▁of ▁the ▁" white ▁list " ▁of ▁sk illed ▁occup ations , ▁an ▁upper ▁limit ▁on ▁marg ins ▁lev ied ▁by ▁staff ing ▁ag encies , ▁prohib ition ▁of ▁dispatch ing ▁within ▁corpor ate ▁groups , ▁and ▁str ic ter ▁pen alt ies ▁for ▁early ▁lay offs . ▁ ▁Re vis ions ▁of ▁Work er ▁Dis patch ▁Law ▁In ▁ 2 0 1 0 ▁the ▁Japanese ▁government ▁has ▁indicated ▁that ▁it ▁intended ▁to ▁rev ise ▁the ▁Work