The only people who tend to know what I'm talking about when I say the words "labor relations commission" are unionists, labor or corporate lawyers and labor-law scholars. These panels are government enforcement bodies that lack the glamour and fame of the courts, the cops and even the Labor Standards Office, and sound about as dull as dish water. This is a shame, because in actual fact, they do some amazing work. Let me explain.
A labor relations commission is a governmental panel tasked with arbitrating between a labor union and management and providing redress when unfair labor practices have taken place (e.g., union-busting, refusal to negotiate and other violations of the Trade Union Law). Each prefecture has a labor commission and their job is to stabilize industrial relations and protect labor unions.
For any particular case, the labor commission consists of three members: a scholar or lawyer who plays the central and most powerful role of public commissioner (kōeki i'in), the labor-side commissioner (rōdōsha i'in) and the management-side commissioner (shiyōsha i'in). What distinguishes these commissions from the courts — even labor courts — is the fact that only one of the three commissioners is neutral. The three commissioners work together either to resolve any dispute between a labor union and management or to judge whether unfair labor practices have taken place. If they have, the panel will order management to take corrective measures.