Rising public recognition of abuse of authority may have led to a growth in the number of people who believe they have suffered from it.

This is typical of the arrogance of those in the halls of power. "who BELIEVE that they may have suffered...."  The labor ministry official passing the buck in the usual manner. Having seen the way workers are treated by their so called 'superiors' first hand I'd hazard a guess the number is even higher than one in three. For the sake of everyone, people in positions of power, please do some reading and study into what makes true and effective leadership. Shame on this minister btw.

I am a victim and I was never surveyed.

I know about five of my co-workers who were forced to quit

due to collective harassment during meetings.

The figures are much higher than what the survey portrays.

Not surprised this statement comes from a labor ministry official. Probably in the same breath said, "Lousy peons should learn their place and shut up!" What's more likely is that they have indeed come to recognize what constitutes abuse of authority, THROUGH EXAMPLE OF IT, and decided that they shouldn't have to put up with it and people simply dismissing it with a "shouganai".