A court has ordered a Japanese McDonald's franchise to pay more than $70,300 USD to a store manager for years of unpaid overtime. Hiroshi Takano, a 46-year-old store manager in Kumagaya, claimed that he had served more than 100 hours of overtime in a month, without taking a day off. Coming to work at 6:00 a.m. everyday, the increasing number of responsibilities would usually find him heading for home at about midnight.

"I was a manager in name only and conditions were harsh," said Takano at a press conference held at the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. "It was a long battle, but [the court] finally made the right decision... I hope to speak out again in the future so I can live more like a human being."

McDonald's Co. (Japan) Ltd. responded by saying that it would seriously consider filing an appeal. "We regret that our view was not understood," a spokesman told reporters. "We recognize our view is right and will consider appealing."

The court rejected the company's argument that store managers have a say in terms of management operations in a store.

"McDonald's store managers only operate their stores in accordance with provided manuals and have no authority to make important management decisions," responded Iwao Saito, the chief judge.

The court decided that Takano's salary, which was sometimes lower than that of a subordinate, and came without any overtime pay, was "insufficient."