Japan

As a founding member, Japan has a relationship with the ILO dating back to 1919. The ILO opened a branch office in Tokyo in November 1923 and although the office closed from 1940-51, when Japan withdrew from the ILO, it was re-established soon after country's readmission to the organization. The Japanese government holds one of ten permanent seats on the ILO Governing Body, and currently the Japanese employers and workers groups are also represented.

As well as being the second largest contributor to the ILO s budget the Japanese government is also a major donor to technical cooperation projects; in 2008 the total contribution was close to US$60 million. Japanese employers and workers organizations, research institutes, cooperative and businesses, also support ILO work.

Japan has ratified 48 ILO Conventions (including six of the eight core conventions); the most recent was the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187), ratified on 24 July 2007.

Decent work is actively promoted by tripartite constituents and the ILO Association of Japan, with a focus on achieving the goals of the Asian Decent Work Decade (2006-2015). Decent Work National Plan of Action is prepared by each fiscal year since 2007, and, following consultations, a Decent Work Country Programme (2007-09) has been developed to guide ILO activities. This DWCP includes five priorities:

Promoting the ratification of ILO Conventions;
Supporting the realization of decent work, in the light of changing work patterns;
Promoting social dialogue;
Mobilizing resources;
Strengthening information-related activities, including additional networking between experts and more reporting on labour and social trends.

Key resources

Related websites in Japan (Resource list)
Japan and the ILO - [pdf 894 KB]
This brochure provides an overview of current ILO projects funded by the Government of Japan, which has supported the ILO for more than 30 years. (Brochure)
Japan marks 35 years of support for ILO
An exhibition to mark the 35th anniversary of the Japanese Government’s support for the ILO will be held at the ILO’s Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland from 9-30 June. (Press release)
ILO-Japan Partnership in Technical Cooperation
After rejoining in ILO in 1951, Japan had been a recipient of ILO technical cooperation by sending Japanese participants to training prgrammes and meetings that were organized by ILO. It has been more than 55 years since then, and at present Japan is one of the big donors of ILO technical cooperation. (Document)
Activities of the ILO Office in Japan
The ILO Office in Japan has prepared Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 2007-09 as framework for ILO activities in Japan, in consultation with government, social partners and ILO Association of Japan. The Office has been conducting activities in accordance with five priorities set in the programme. (Document)
Towards Realization of Decent Work in Japan in fiscal 2008
Fourteenth Asian Regional Meeting of the International Labour Organization (ILO), held in Busan, Republic of Korea in late August 2006, launched an “Asian Decent Work Decade.” In response to this international agreement, tripartite constituents in Japan are expected to actively work together towards realization of Decent Work. (Document)