JCP and workers criticize forcing employees into election campaign for corporate candidates

Major Japanese companies forced employees into campaigning in support of their candidates in the April nationwide local election. Criticism of this unconstitutional practice at the iron works of Sumitomo Metal Industries in Wakayama City was intense.

The city's economy, and employment in particular, heavily depend on Sumitomo Metals.

In the Wakayama City Assembly election, the local Japanese Communist Party stood six candidates, including one who used to work at Sumitomo Metals.

While criticizing the company-managed election campaign that forces employee to cooperate, the JCP committee at the Sumitomo Metals Wakayama Iron Works called for support for the JCP which has been struggling to stop the company's abuse of workers and subcontracting firms, and to protect jobs. The JCP during its campaign said, "This is the way to force the company into fulfilling its corporate social responsibility."

In Himeji City in the western prefecture of Hyogo, eight candidates are running in the city assembly election from corporate giants, including Nippon Steel, Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Toshiba Corp., and Kansai Electric Power Co.

These corporations' electioneering is to profit from the city's large scale development projects, including a multipurpose dome and a waterfront highway.

These corporations use coercion to force their employees and subcontractors to participate in the election campaigns for the corporate candidates. This goes against the ban of forced labor in the Labor Standards Law. (end)