Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2012 April 11 - 17 [LABOR]

Pushed by JCP, Panasonic returns subsidies to Chiba

Panasonic Corporation recently returned to Chiba Prefecture subsidies granted for building its liquid crystal display factory there. Japanese Communist Party members of the Chiba Prefectural Assembly had requested that the prefectural government demand the repayment from the company.

The amount of money returned by Panasonic is 340 million yen. The prefectural authorities had demanded that Panasonic refund its subsidies to the prefecture as it closed and sold out its liquid crystal display factory in Mobara City in the prefecture to a third company, Japan Display. The authorities stated that they will no longer fund Panasonic.

The JCP members of the prefectural assembly in November 2011 requested Morita Kensaku, the prefectural governor, to put pressure on Panasonic to ensure jobs for workers and return its subsidies provided by the prefecture. The JCP assembly persons repeatedly took up this issue at assembly meetings.

They also pointed out in February that large corporations such as Panasonic had repeated so-called reorganizations by means of selling stocks, closing factories, and engaging in mergers and acquisitions, and forced workers to accept dismissals or lower working conditions. They demanded that the prefecture change its policy of inducing corporations to locate there, forcing prefectures to compete against each other.