Japan Press Weekly

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2016 May 18 - 24 [LABOR]

Unions hold rally to make higher minimum wage major issue in Upper House election

A group of a wide range of trade unions, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Youth Union, on May 17 held a rally in the Lower House Members’ Office Building to call on the government to increase the minimum hourly wage to at least 1,000 yen with 80 people participating.

Lawyer Inomata Tadashi, who is a member of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations’ task force on poverty problems, spoke at the rally. He stressed that a low minimum wage is one of the major factors of poverty and the gender wage gap.

Workers, who are paid just above a minimum wage, spoke about their harsh working conditions. A 36-year-old female nursing care worker, a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Youth Union, said, “I want an increase in the minimum wage so that I will be able to live my life without anxiety.” A male member of the Postal Industry Workers’ Union explained that non-regular workers in their 30s and 40s in his work team are all single. He added that some of them have no choice but to live with their parents because of the low wages.

National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) President Odagawa Yoshikazu, National Trade Union Council (Zenrokyo) Chair Kanazawa Hisashi, and Natsume Ichiro of the Labor Lawyers Association of Japan gave solidarity speeches.

Representatives of the Japanese Communist, Democratic, Social Democratic, and People’s Life parties delivered speeches and called on the participants to jointly work to make a drastic minimum wage hike an issue in this summer’s House of Councilors election.

JCP Secretariat Head Koike Akira in his speech pointed out that although Prime Minister Abe Shinzo recently announced a plan to revise the minimum hourly wage to 1,000 yen, it would take seven to eight years to realize his plan. Koike stated, “The urgent task is to immediately realize an across-the-board increase to 1,000 yen in the minimum hourly wage and seek a further hike to 1,500 yen. Together with other opposition parties, we will do our utmost to make this task an important issue in the Upper House election.”


Past related articles:
> Eliminate poverty by raising minimum wages: union workers [March 10, 2016]
> Gap in regional minimum wages weakens local economies: JCP Shimazu [February 10, 2016]