(Selected information on social & labour developments in Japan)
September
2001
Comprehensive Employment Measures Plan
The Government formulated on 20 September "Comprehensive Employment Measures Plan." The measures consist of three pillars, i.e.,
The government is expected to submit to the current extraordinary Diet session a bill to implement urgent part of these measures.
Unemployment as high as ever
The unemployment rate for August stood at 5.0%, same as in July. The number of unemployed increased by 260,000 to 3,360,000, compared to that of same month last year. The number of the unemployed has been in increase for five consecutive months. Similarly, the active job opening ratio declined by 0.01 point to 0.59.
Under this situation, the current extraordinary session of the Diet is discussing employment/unemployment as a matter of urgency and policy priority.
APEC ministers discussed human resources development (HRD)
The 4th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) HRD Ministerial Meeting was held on 29-30 September in Kumamoto, Japan to discuss the main theme, "Human resources development for both the advancement of society and economy and sharing of prosperity with people in context of globalisation". A joint ministerial statement called "Kumamoto Statement" confirmed importance of labour market responsive to the new economy, knowledge and skill development to bring opportunity for success to all workers in the context of globalisation, and involvement of stakeholders such as labour and business to develop human resources development strategies. The digital divide was particularly a big concern among the participants. The outcomes of this meeting will be reported to APEC Ministerial Meeting to be held in October in Shanghai, China.
| ILO EVENTS IN JAPAN |
Exhibition & Forum on Child LabourTwo child labour events, organized by ILO Tokyo Branch Office in September to commemorate Japan's ratification of the ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No.182) on 18 June this year, successfully contributed to raise awareness of the issue in Japan. The exhibition of some 80 photos, which portrayed the miseries of child labour, was held in the United Nations Gallery during the dates of 4-13 September, and a Forum was jointly organized with Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the U Thant Conference Hall at the UN University on 7 September.
"Tens of millions of children endure the worst forms of child labour. Put a stop to it - it is the responsibility of adults," said the ILO Director-General, Mr. Juan Somavia, in his message panel, which was exhibited at the entrance to the photo exhibition. Brief, yet powerful messages showing their determinations to end child labour from the world were also delivered from high-level officials in Japan and representatives of ILO's tripartite constituents such as: Mr. Chikara Sakaguchi, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare; Ms. Mayumi Moriyama, Minister of Justice and Chairperson of Japanese Parliamentarians' League on the ILO Activities; Ms. Makiko Arima, Personal Representative of Japanese Prime Minister to the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children; Mr. Etsuo Washio, President of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-RENGO) and; Mr. Hiroshi Okuda, Chairperson of Japan Federation of Employers' Associations (NIKKEIREN).
At the Forum, large audience of about 400, ranging from high-level government and international officials to high-school students and the press, listened attentively to the detailed presentations by ILO and government officials, NGO representatives and academics, all directly involved in the activities towards the elimination of child labour. The Forum was opened by the Minister of Justice, Ms. Mayumi Moriyama, who took the initiative for the ratification of the Convention No. 182 as well as adoption of the legislation prohibiting child prostitution and child pornography in 1999. Following the video message from the ILO Director-General, Ms. Mitsuko Horiuchi, ILO Tokyo Branch Office Director, gave brief presentation about the Convention No. 182. Then, the Forum discussed such issues as the significance of the ratification to Japan, human rights in Japanese society, Second World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children to be held in Yokohama, Japan in December this year, action against child prostitution and drug abuse problems among Japanese youth. International efforts towards the elimination of child labour were presented by several speakers including Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson, Global March Against Child Labour; Mr. Wahidur Rahman, ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) South Asia Sub-regional Adviser and; Mr. Vincent Abrenica, IPEC/RENGO Project Senior Researcher/Counselor.
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2001
(Purpose of the news flash is to provide readers with rough idea of social and labour developments in Japan. It is not an official document of the ILO. The designations employed do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the ILO concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the ILO, and any failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product or process is not a sign of disapproval.)