Japan Press Weekly

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2012 May 16 - 22 [LABOR]

Youth leaders demand gov’t improve employment opportunities for younger workers

Tokyo metropolitan committees of the Japanese Communist Party and of the Democratic Youth League of Japan on May 18 requested the labor ministry to improve employment opportunities for younger workers as well as working conditions, including child-raising parents.

They made this request ahead of a general meeting of the International Labor Organization (ILO) which will be held on May 30 in Geneva. One of the main themes of the meeting is employment opportunities for younger workers. The committees of the JCP and the DYLJ will convey to the meeting the demands of young workers in Japan which they gathered through a “survey of the actual situation of youth and young parents”.

Iwasaki Asuka, chair of the DYLJ’s Tokyo committee, said, “We hear many complaints from young workers. They often say, ‘Wages are too low to make a living’, ‘Working hours are too long’, and ‘It’s frowned on to take days off’.” She demanded that the government carry out the ILO’s resolution on youth employment, ratify a series of ILO conventions to protect workers from discrimination and unfair dismissals, and revise the relevant domestic laws as well.

JCP member of the House of Councilors Tamura Tomoko said, “Over a half of young workers in their twenties are contingent workers. Is the government seriously tackling the problem of unstable employment of young workers?”

An official of the ministry said that they are considering ratifying the ILO conventions regarding these issues.