A Konami Japan employee is suing the company for alleged discrimination related to maternity leave.

36-year-old Yoko Sekiguchi, who negotiated team and foreign player licenses for Pro Evolution Soccer, took maternity leave from Konami last October, returning in April. When she got back, however, she had been demoted due to the "burden" of child rearing and work.

The demotion apparently came with a docking of salary. The figure quoted in a Kotaku report is ¥200,000 (£1,286) per month.

"This is discrimination aimed at female employees who chose to take maternity leave", Sekiguchi said. "I decided to take legal action because fellow female employees are experiencing the same type of treatment."

Sekiguchi is seeking ¥33,000,000 (£211,746) in damages.

At least Microsoft is apparently working hard at removing discrimination against homosexuals on Xbox Live. Not that it has much choice thanks to the impending release of Rockstar's The Ballad of Gay Tony for GTA IV.

^{Source: Kotaku}