(published March 1999)
| Tokyo Today is published yearly by the ILO Tokyo Branch Office to provide ILO constituents with the latest information on ILO activities and political, economic and social developments in Japan. For further information, please contact the Office at the address given at the end of this page. |
Japan
and Child Labour: From Awareness Raising to the Real Acts
ILO
Major Activities in Japan in 1998: In Partnership with ILO Constituents
(Asian Financial Crisis etc.,)
ILO
Projects Financed by Japanese Donors: ILO/Japan Asian-Pacific Symposium
on Standards-Related Topics
People
(Cabinet Reshuffle etc.,)
Publications
News (Japanese version of ILO publications published in 1998 etc.,)
Labour
& Social News Highlights 1998 (Emergency Economic Package etc.,
and New & Envisaged Legislation)
- From Awareness Raising to the Real Acts -
As can be seen from the country-specific provision in the ILO Minimum Age (Industry) Convention (No. 5), 1919, which allows Japan to admit children over twelve years old into employment if they have finished the course in the elementary school, child labour did exist in Japan until soon after World War II. Indeed, according to ILO estimates, economic activity rate of children 10-14 years of age was 6.95 per cent in Japan in 1950. Since then, with the rapid industrialization and the introduction of compulsory education system till the age of fifteen, child labour has gradually disappeared from the country and the activity rate of the same age group has been reduced to zero since 1980. Now, Japan intends to help other countries to solve the problem subscribing to the ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC). Also, with the revision of the Labour Standards Law in 1998, which, among other things, raised the minimum age for admission to light work from twelve to thirteen years old, the Ministry of Labour is making efforts towards the ratification of the ILO Minimum Age Convention (No. 138), 1973, consulting with related ministries and agencies.
Slowly but steadily, Japanese people recognizing the plight of child workers in the world have started to work towards the elimination of child labour. Interest in child labour has increased among high school and university students since "Children's Human Right" was selected as one of the topics for discussion at the All Japan Model United Nations in 1997 and 1998. Japanese version of the ILO video "I am a child!", produced by the ILO Tokyo Branch Office in early 1998, sold quite well among elementary and junior high schools arousing media interest. The Japanese Ministry of Education included the film in the list of the Ministry's recommended educational materials for international understanding and peace study. "I'm ashamed for being ignorant of the dreadful situation of many children in the world. Please tell me what we can do to save them," said many of the students who had seen the film.
Several seminars and meetings on child labour and even the Global March in Japan were organized by trade unions and NGOs. Mr. Nobuhiro Hayasaka, Director of ILO Tokyo Branch Office, was asked to give many speeches and write several essays on the topic. The ILO video was shown and child labour photo panels, also produced by the Office, were displayed at several meetings and events including the General Assembly of the Japan Telecommunications Workers' Union (Hiroshima, 27-28 August 1998). A symposium organized by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-RENGO) on 26 November 1998 in Tokyo to introduce the new ILO Declaration and core labour standards focussed on the topic of the elimination of child labour. Following the presentation by Mr. Sukesada Itoh, worker member of the ILO Governing Body, on contents and major implications to Japan of ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work adopted in 1998, Ms. Thetis Mangahas, IPEC National Programme Coordinator for the Philippines, reported on current situation of child labour and IPEC activities in the country. The symposium adopted an appeal to intensify the solidarity and cooperative activities to eliminate child labour.
Awareness raising activities led to real acts. In September last year, JTUC-RENGO contributed 5 million Japanese yen to the IPEC activities. Japanese government has started to allocate part of its annual multi-bilateral voluntary contributions to the IPEC from 1998. This will realize Asian regional meetings on worst forms of child labour inviting tripartite delegations from IPEC operating countries in Asia. First meeting will be held in Bangkok in September 1999. The contribution from JTUC-RENGO will be used for research, awareness raising and monitoring activities in the hotel, catering and tourism sectors in the Philippines.
Bill against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children has been submitted
to the Diet under the initiative of several Diet members including Ms.
Mayumi Moriyama, Chairperson of the Japanese Parliamentarians' League on
ILO Activities. The bill is expected to be passed during the current Diet
session which will be closed in June. Under the proposed law, person having
commercial sexual relations with children under 18 years old and other
offenders, including Japanese citizen taking part in child prostitution
in abroad, will be punished.
- In Partnership with ILO Constituents -
Asian Financial
Crisis and the ILO
At the invitation of Japanese Parliamentarians' League on the ILO Activities, supra-partisan body with more than 100 members from both Houses of the Diet, Ms. Mitsuko Horiuchi, Assistant Director-General for ILO Activities in Asia and the Pacific, delivered an address on the Asian financial crisis and ILO activities on 26 August 1998 in Tokyo. She spoke on the same topic at a public lecture meeting held by the Japan Institute of Labour with the support of the ILO Tokyo Branch Office and the ILO Association of Japan on 6 November 1998 in Tokyo. After describing the recent economic and social picture of Asian countries affected by the crisis, Ms. Horiuchi introduced major ILO activities undertaken in response to the Asian financial crisis to over 100 participants including high-level government officials and academics.
Japanese Ministry of Labour has redirected its multi-bilateral funds for use by the ILO for action programmes to assist the crisis-affected Asian countries, contents of which is under consultation with the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
New ILO Declaration
Following the adoption of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work in 1998, Tokyo Branch Office was requested to make presentations on the Declaration in several occasions. One such occasion was a symposium organized by the group of trade unionists, labour lawyers and academics in commemoration of their publication of the book entitled "Let's Change Japan with International Labour Standards" on 7 November 1998 in Tokyo. Invited by the group, Mr. Nobuhiro Hayasaka, Director of ILO Tokyo Branch Office, gave an introductory lecture on new ILO Declaration and core labour standards.
Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-RENGO) held a symposium on the new ILO Declaration and core labour standards in Tokyo in November 1998, which emphasized the value of the Declaration and the importance of its application. JTUC-RENGO also organized a study meeting for labour standards specialists in February 1999, to which Mr. Hayasaka was invited to speak on the Declaration. ILO fundamental rights posters were widely distributed among trade unions and employers' organizations.
Labour Relations
As the basis for an international exchange of views on the future of labour relations, researchers, and workers' and employers' representatives, from Japan and Germany commented on the ILO publication, World Labour Report 1997/98. A symposium on future prospects of the labour relations was organized by the ILO Tokyo Branch Office in cooperation with the Japan Institute of Labour (JIL) on 31 July 1998 in Tokyo. Two ILO officials from the report production team were invited to make presentations on the report: Mr. Jean-Michel Servais, then Chief, Task Force on Industrial Relation, who headed the production team, and Mr. Duncan Campbell, Senior Specialist on Industrial Relations, ILO East Asia Multidisciplinary Advisory Team (EASMAT). With the cooperation of a private publishing house, ILO Tokyo Branch Office produced Japanese version of the World Labour Report for wider dissemination among Japanese public. So far, over 1,000 copies have been sold.
Occupational Safety and Health
RENGO Safety Network Meeting
Mr. Seiji Machida, Senior Occupational Safety and Health Technical Specialist, ILO EASMAT, gave a commemorative lecture on globalization, safety, health and environment at the JTUC-RENGO '98 National Safety Network Meeting (Narashino, 27-28 July 1998). Addressing about 150 participants to this annual meeting of safety and health specialists, which had selected the future of occupational safety and health in small and medium-sized enterprises as this year's main theme, Mr. Machida spoke on main objectives of the 15th World Congress on Occupational Safety and Health to be held in São Paulo in April 1999. More than 30 members of JTUC-RENGO are expected to attend the Congress.
International Symposium on Stress
Tokyo Medical University organized an international symposium on work-related stress and health in three post-industrial settings: EU, Japan and the USA (Tokyo, 31 October - 1 November 1998) with the ILO as one of the co-sponsors. Mr. N. Hayasaka, Director of the Tokyo Branch Office, addressed the opening session representing the ILO. After examining recent experiences and trends on work-related stress in these countries, the symposium adopted conclusions and a Declaration to guide the future direction of the study and public policies in this field.
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
Ohara Institute for Social Research of Hosei University has been organizing symposia every year since 1987 with current issues in the ILO as main topics. Subject of the 12th Symposium on International Labour Issues (Tokyo, 25 September 1998) was the job creation in small and medium-sized enterprises. With several members of the Japanese delegation to the 1998 International Labour Conference as speakers, the symposium discussed main provisions of newly-adopted ILO Recommendation concerning General Conditions to Stimulate Job Creation in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, 1998 (No. 189) and the ways to promote job creation in small and medium-sized enterprises in Japan.
ILO Officials in Japan
In 1998, several ILO officials from Geneva and other field offices visited Japan including Mr. Goeran Hultin, ILO Assistant Director-General responsible for Enterprise, Cooperative Development and Multinationals, who was invited to address the General Assembly of the Japanese Workers' Co-operative Union (Akita, 18-19 May 1998), and Mr. Colin Gillion, Director, ILO Social Security Department, and Mr. John Turner from the same Department, who gave lecture on the retirement income security scheme in the 21st century and the pension reform of public sector in OECD countries, respectively, at Fifth International Pensions Seminar (Tokyo, 22 May 1998) organized by Prof. Noriyasu Watanabe of Edogawa University, to discuss future prospects of public and private pension schemes in the 21st century.
UN Family Cooperation
In 1998, there were two major events which demonstrated effective cooperation among UN and other international organizations.
One is UN Day Symposium on human rights and the role of the United Nations which was held in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 23 October 1998 in Tokyo organized by the United Nations University with cooperation of UNHCR, UNDP, UNIC, UNICEF, UNOPS and ILO. Keynote address was given by Ms. Sadako Ogata, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and it was attended by some 300 academics, journalists and students.
Another successful occasion was International Career Development Forum '98 on 10 November 1998 in Tokyo organized by the World Bank Group with cooperation of ADB, EBRD, IDB, ILO, IMF, OECD, UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR, UNIC and WFP. Participating organizations explained their activities, recruitment and personnel policies to some 5,500 visitors interested in working for the international organizations. The ILO held an individual seminar for those particularly interested with talk given by Ms. Pongsri Phantumvanit, Senior Personnel Officer, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
ILO Association of Japan
Two tripartite study teams from Japan, one led by Mr. N. Hayasaka, ILO Tokyo Branch Office Director, and both organized by the ILO Association of Japan to study recent trends in employment and social security policies in Europe and ILO, joined after having travelled different countries at the ILO headquarters building in Geneva on 12 October 1998 to parade there. A seventy-people-long procession astonished those who passed by. Messrs. Emmanuel Reynaud-Fourton and Hiroshi Yamabana, both from Social Security Department, delivered lectures for the teams. Findings of a participant, which surely are shared by many: "I thought I could find a model on my mission for future policies of Japan. There is, however, none of such kind. Each state has to contrive its own scheme, though we have to take into consideration as many experiences and discussions of others."
ILO/Japan Multi-bi Programme
Under seriously deficit ridden national economy, 273,173,000 Japanese yen were contributed to ILO/Japan Multi-bi programme by Ministry of Labour, Japan, in fiscal year (FY) 1998, and 265,859,000 Japanese yen will be contributed in FY1999 with the approval of National Diet on 17 March 1999. From FY1998, Asian Regional Meeting on Worst Forms of Child Labour has been newly introduced and in FY1999, new project, "Promotion of social agreement formation toward solution of employment and labour issues in Asian countries under financial crisis," will be started. In FY1998, in addition to multi-bi programme, the Ministry of Labour contributed 21,240,000 Japanese yen to ILO Asian and Pacific Skill Development Programme (APSDEP), the Japan Institute of Labour contributed 5,650,000 Japanese yen to Networking of National Institutes of Labour Studies Project and Japanese Trade Union Confederation has started new donation of 5,000,000 Japanese yen to IPEC.
In addition to supporting the implementation of seven ILO/Japan Multi-bi
Projects, Tokyo Branch Office received four fellowship groups of ILO/Japan
Multi-bi programme in FY1998, attended the annual review meeting of ILO/Japan
Multi-bi Programme in Bangkok in May, and the evaluation mission to Vietnam
and Nepal in November.
|
(donor: Ministry of Labour, total contribution for 1987-1999: US$1.9 million) For effective participation in the standards-setting and supervisory process of the ILO, the need for providing a forum for consultation among the tripartite constituents of the ILO member countries in the Asian-Pacific region increased. Responding to the expressed need, ILO, with financial support from the Ministry of Labour (MOL), Japan, has organized "Asian-Pacific Symposium on Standards-related Topics" every year since 1988. So far eleven regional symposia have been convened in changing locations over Asia, and in 1999 the 12th symposium was held in Bangkok from 9 to 11 February, gathering about 80 participants including observers from 26 countries in the region. From Japan, the donor of the symposium, Mr. Kenji Tsunekawa, Director, International Labour Affairs Division, MOL, participated, and Messrs. Hironori Yano, Director, International Division, Japan Federation of Employers' Associations, and Shoya Yoshida, Chief, International Policy Division, Japanese Trade Union Confederation, were also present. From the ILO Governing Body, Messrs. Kamran Fannizadeh, Counsellor for Labour and Social Affairs, Islamic Republic of Iran, Bill Brett, Worker member, United Kingdom, and I.P. Anand, Employer member, India, were invited as resource persons. It was an unusual case in this kind of symposium, which impressed the participants with the significance of the symposium given by the ILO. The symposium was opened by the inaugural address by Mr. Sompong Amorn Wiwat, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Thailand. At the symposium, ILO Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up, adopted by the International Labour Conference at its 86th Session in 1998, was explained by Mr. Kari Tapiola, Deputy Director-General responsible for Policies related to Standards and Sectoral Activities and for Relations with ILO Policy Organs, Geneva. Since the symposium was the first opportunity in the region to deal with the Declaration after its adoption, the participants showed their keen interest in the Declaration and the Q & A session was very active. Besides, the principles enshrined in the fundamental ILO Conventions relating to "basic workers' rights" were introduced and the ratification and implementation of them was promoted. On the whole, the participants appreciated the symposium very much and the importance of this kind of activity would increase further. |
| PEOPLE |
Cabinet Reshuffle
With the resignation of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, new Cabinet has been formed on 30 July 1998, with Mr. Keizo Obuchi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, as Prime Minister, and Messrs. Masahiko Komura and Akira Amari being appointed as Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Labour respectively. Once working for Sony Corp., Mr. Amari, member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has extensive policy experience with small and medium-sized corporations as having served as commerce and industry panel chief in the LDP.
Employers' and Workers' Organizations
Mr. Hiroshi Okuda, President of Toyota Motor Co., will replace Mr. Jiro Nemoto as Chairman of Japan Federation of Employers' Association (NIKKEIREN) whose two-year-term will expire in May 1999. The Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-RENGO) is led by Mr. Etsuya Washio as its Chairman since 1997.
IILS Public Lecture by Vice-President of NIKKEIREN
Mr. Nobuo Tateishi, Chairman and Representative Director of OMRON Corporation and Vice-President of NIKKEIREN, delivered a Public Lecture under the auspices of the International Institute for Labour Studies on the theme of "Business and Society" on 23 March 1998 in Geneva. The Institute's Public Lectures provide an international platform for distinguished public figures to address contemporary economic and social questions. Introducing the company policy of OMRON to be a friendly company to the society, Mr. Tateishi spoke of corporate citizenship and the prospects of the enterprises towards 21st century.
Decoration
Mr. Teruyoshi Iwata, former Director of the ILO Tokyo
Branch Office, was decorated with the Third Class Order of the Rising Sun
in autumn 1998.
| PUBLICATIONS NEWS |
Sales Results
In 1998, total sales of the ILO publications in Japan amounted to some US$127,000, up 27 per cent from the previous year. As a result of child labour campaign and with the production of its Japanese version, the film I am a child! sold most well (766 copies sold). Top ten of ILO film/publications sold in Japan following the film is as follows: ii) Year Book of Labour Statistics 1997 (138 copies), iii) World Labour Report 1997-98 (136 copies), iv) Ergonomic Checkpoints (114 copies), v) Accident prevention on board ship at sea and in port: An ILO code of practice (72 copies), vi) Introduction to Work Study and World Employment 1996/97 (54 copies each), viii) Maritime Labour Conventions and Recommendations (51 copies), ix) Gender and jobs (50 copies) and x) The Sex Sector (48 copies).
Promotional Efforts
In addition to the annual Tokyo International Book Fair '98 (Tokyo, 22-25 January 1998), Tokyo Branch Office participated in the National Occupational Safety and Health Congress (Kobe, 7-9 October 1998) organized by the Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association to display and distribute catalogues of major ILO publications on occupational safety and health, which resulted in considerable amount of sales of publications in this field including fourth edition of Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety which has sold more than 40 copies so far.
Japanese Version of ILO Publications
Japanese version of following film/publications were produced in 1998: I am a child! was translated and produced by the ILO Tokyo Branch Office; Profession: Child was produced by the Pacific Asia Resource Center, Japanese NGO; part of World Labour Report 1997/98 was translated by the ILO Tokyo Branch Office and published by Shinzansha Co., Ltd; Ergonomic checkpoints was produced by the Institute for Science of Labour; "Computerized integration and the organization of work in enterprises", article in International Labour Review, Vol. 133, 1994, No.5-6, was translated by Prof. Naotoshi Shigemori et al. of Ryukoku University and carried in June, 1998 issue of the Journal of Business Studies published by Ryukoku University. Several major publications including third revised edition of Management consulting and Unions in a changing world are under preparation.
LABOUR & SOCIAL NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Emergency Economic Package
In November 1998, as the first step towards putting the economy on the track to recovery within a next few years, Obuchi Cabinet settled the Emergency Economic Package of over US$145 million to revitalize the Japanese economy. The package aims to achieve the following three goals during 1999 fiscal year (FY): (i) to create sufficient demand to underpin firm confidence that the economy will definitely achieve positive growth in FY1999; (ii) to create jobs and new businesses to prevent increased unemployment; and (iii) advance international coordination, especially focussing on reducing external economic friction. In the field of job creation, Comprehensive Plan for Employment Creation will be implemented, which aims to create more jobs, enhance the employability of workers, eliminate the mismatching in labour demand and supply and to ensure safety net for the unemployed. The government also adopted in March 1999, a plan to create 770,000 jobs in four sectors - health and welfare, information and telecommunications, housing and tourism - over the next two years.
New Policies
The 9th Industrial Accident Prevention Plan (FY1998-2002) by Ministry of Labour
Published in March 1998, the plan subtitled "Towards the Fulfilment of a Workplace where 21st Century Workers can Work Safely and in Health" will tackle the basic issues in the following areas: (i) eradication of accident-related deaths; (ii) assurance of safety and health in small and medium-sized enterprises; (iii) assurance of safety and health in the aging society; (iv) introduction of the new safety and health management methods; (v) promotion of workers' health policies that reduce the increasing physical and mental stresses at work; and (vi) raising of safety and health awareness from the basics.
Fundamental Policy for Employment Measures for Disabled Persons (FY1998-2002) by Ministry of Labour
This policy aims to publicize the progress of employment measures for disabled people to employers, labour unions, disabled people and the general public as well as to promote the employment and occupational stability of disabled persons by providing guidelines concerning the employment management of disabled workers to be carried out by employers.
New Legislation
Revision of Labour Standards Law (entry into force: 1 April 1999, except for the provisions on the administrative assistance for dispute resolution on 1 October 1998, and on discretionary work scheme on 1 April 2000)
In September 1998, the Diet passed a bill to amend the Labour Standards Law, aiming at providing for a new system of regulation of individual labour relations. Main points of the revision are as follows: (i) expansion of the upper limit on short-term labour contract period from the current one year to a maximum of three years for certain categories of workers; (ii) written notification of working conditions such as wages, working hours and other working conditions at the time of concluding labour contracts, currently only applied to matters concerning wages; (iii) issuance of certifications on the reasons for termination of employment contracts when required from workers; (iv) expansion of the scope of the application of the discretionary work scheme from currently eleven professional job categories designated by the Ministry of Labour to workers conducting planning, proposal drafting, surveys and analysis at company headquarters and similar establishments subject to the decisions of company labour-management committee; and (v) setting up of statutory upper limit of overtime work which is currently set at 360 hours per year by guideline.
Revision of Employment Insurance Law (entry into force: 31 March 1998, except for provisions concerning education and training benefits on 1 December 1998 and concerning family care leave benefits and job applicant benefits for older persons on 1 April 1999)
The law to revise Employment Insurance Law was approved by the Diet in March 1998. Under the newly-established education and training benefits scheme, 80 per cent of the training cost (the upper limit of 200,000 Japanese yen) for each worker insured for more than five years will be subsidized from the employment insurance fund. Under the family care leave benefits scheme, workers on leave will be paid the amount equivalent to 25 per cent of his/her wage before taking leave for maximum period of three months.
New Business Creation Promotion Law (entry into force: 16 February 1999)
Approved by the Diet in December 1998, the Law will establish some measures for business creation such as special allocation of the government budget of research and development to small and medium-sized enterprises, preferential treatment of entrepreneurs applying for credit insurance for small and medium-sized enterprises and general support for active utilization of local industrial resources.
Basic Law for the Reform of Central Government Ministries and Agencies (entry into force: 12 June 1998)
The Law, approved by the Diet in June 1998, aims at streamlining the central government through the creation of independent administrative corporations and the complete review of the businesses conducted by existing Ministries and Agencies, which number will be reduced from the present 22 to one Office and 12 Ministries and Agencies from January 2001.
Envisaged Legislation
Establishment and revisions of important laws are under discussion in the current Diet session to be closed in June 1999.
Law for Securing the Proper Operation of Worker Dispatching Undertakings and Improved Working Conditions for Dispatched Workers & Employment Security Law
Taking into consideration of the provisions in the ILO Convention concerning Private Employment Agencies, 1997 (No. 181), it is proposed to revise related Laws. With the revision of the Law concerning temporary work, the use of temporary workers will be liberalized in principle except for certain kinds of jobs such as port transport, construction and security services. Currently, temporary work agencies are permitted to dispatch workers on 26 professional categories such as translation, software development, office machine operation and secretarial work.
Proposed revision of Employment Security Law includes liberalization in principle of fee-charging private job placement agencies and setting up of provisions for the protection of workers' privacy.
Basic Law towards the Society with the Common Participation of Both Men and Women
Based on the report of the Council for Gender Equality submitted to the Prime Minister in June 1998, the government presented the bill which will lay the groundwork for realizing gender equal society at the current Diet session.
Pension reform
The Japanese pension scheme is reviewed every five years. Main features of the reform plan set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in February 1999, which will be included in a bill to revise pension-related laws, include (i) gradual raising of the eligible age for remuneration-proportional old-age employees' pension benefit from 60 to 65; (ii) change of the premium-calculation basis from current monthly income to gross annual income; and (iii) deregulation of the company pension fund operation activities allowing employers to pay their share of contribution with listed stocks.