The outlet, one of the largest and most profitable of the chain, is located in Tokyo's Ikeburo district. Passers-by constantly stop and take pictures of the closed windows with the word "SEIBU" on them, as strikes are extremely rare in Japan.
Around 900 workers have gathered in front of the now closed entrance to the store, explaining their position to customers and apologizing for the inconvenience caused.
"We want dialogue. More or less detailed explanations were given to us only in August. The final decision on the transfer of rights will be made today, and we do not know if the strike will affect it. We really hope that they will discuss recruitment issues with us," one of the protesting workers told Sputnik.
A representative of the local trade union said that this shop is Japan’s third largest in terms of sales and maybe the largest among those located near a train station.
While this material was being prepared, it became known that the final decision on the sale of the department store chain has been made, and the deal value will amount to 220 billion yen ($1.5 billion). The deal will close on September 1.
The last strike of his kind took place in 1962 at the Hanshin department store.