TV Asahi revealed on May 21 that it has delayed the broadcast of a documentary spotlighting a Japanese maid cafe that hires women with developmental disabilities. The segment was scheduled to air on May 23 but was pulled from the schedule, with no rescheduled date provided as of now.
Although TV Asahi did not offer an explanation for the postponement, this decision follows closely after Tokyo Shimbun shared a report where former employees of Star Blossom, an Osaka-based maid cafe catering to women with developmental disabilities and mental health issues, exposed alleged substandard working conditions and wages below the legal minimum.
Per the article, despite being classified as “paid volunteers” instead of regular staff, the women were reportedly made to work shifts—sometimes exceeding 7 hours without breaks—and meet sales targets, duties that typically qualify as employment. They performed all aspects of cafe operations, including serving customers and cooking, yet allegedly earned only 800 yen per hour, whereas Japan’s minimum wage exceeds 1,000 yen even in the least paying regions. Star Blossom is said to be under scrutiny by the local Labor Standards Inspection Office in light of these claims.
Given that the maid cafe in TV Asahi’s planned documentary was also based in Osaka, it appears probable that the broadcast cancellation is linked to these developments. In the meantime, Star Blossom, which states its mission is to “promote understanding of the difficulties faced by individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health issues, and to cultivate a society where everyone can coexist harmoniously, irrespective of disability,” has responded to the accusations on X. The cafe asserts that the reports “do not align with our objectives or real situation, and were presented from a biased viewpoint.” They plan to handle the matter with legal counsel and other involved parties.
Mido