The Tokyo District Court ordered McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) Ltd. Jan. 28 to pay ¥7.55 million in overtime allowance and "additional pay" to a manager at one of its outlets.

Presiding Judge Iwao Saito ruled that Hiroshi Takano, 46, who manages a McDonald's outlet in Saitama Prefecture, does not qualify as a manager under the Labor Standards Law and thus deserves overtime pay.

The law stipulates that employers must pay overtime allowances to employees who work more than eight hours a day and 40 hours a week. However, the regulation does not apply to people in managerial positions.

Saito said employees in management positions must be able to wield significant authority and receive privileged treatment, including higher pay. Takano neither played such an important role for the company nor received better pay, he said.