Japan Press Weekly

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2016 November 23 - 29 [LABOR]

Young people want jobs that generate hope for future

A liaison council which works on job creation and decent work rules for young people on November 28 visited relevant ministries and agencies, including the labor authorities, and employers’ associations to make representations.

The participants demanded measures to create more jobs, achieve better working conditions and increase wages, improve assistance to all job-seeking students, and provide tuition-free education.

Prior to the action, they had a meeting in the Lower House Members’ Office Building. Democratic Youth League of Japan Vice Chair Takuda Hazuki gave a short speech in greeting and Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Hatano Kimie reported on the ongoing Diet proceedings regarding employment.


Takuda pointed out that the youth who had stood up against the war laws last year began tackling the issues of high tuition fees, student loans, and the bitter competition for jobs. A high school teacher from Wakayama Prefecture said that both the number of job openings and the rate of employment in the prefecture are increasing but these figures “vary depending on location and job category”. A Hokkaido high school teacher expressed concern over the Self-Defense Forces making door-to-door visits in order to recruit teenagers. A university senior said he “always feels vague anxiety” about getting a job and adjusting to the work environment.

JCP Kira in Diet demands improvement in employment

JCP member of the House of Councilors Kira Yoshiko at the Upper House plenary session on November 28 stated that an environment where young people can work and raise their families without unnecessary anxiety will eventually pump up the Japanese economy as a whole. She demanded radical measures to expand job opportunities for young people.

Taking up the issue of the overwork-induced suicide of a female employee of Dentsu, a major advertising agency, she stressed the need to require all workplaces to attach importance to the health of workers.

She also criticized the Abe Cabinet for presenting bills to expand the “discretionary” work structure and introduce a “zero-overtime payment” system because these bills are designed to meet the demands of large corporations aiming for the legalization of excessive overwork.

Past related articles:
> Dentsu worker’s suicide recognized as work-related [October 8, 2016]
> 70% of young workers complained about low wages: DYLJ survey [June 1, 2016]
> Youth stand up demanding minimum wage hike [January 13, 2016]