The Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) and the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) issued a rare joint statement Thursday calling on the government to enhance the employment safety net amid widespread job cuts by corporations.
The statement was issued after a meeting on employment stability between Fujio Mitarai, chairman of the nation's most powerful business lobby, and Tsuyoshi Takagi, head of the 6.8 million-strong national umbrella organization for labor unions.
Their meeting marked the effective start of the "shunto" spring labor talks, in which representatives of employers and employees negotiate wages and other labor conditions for the year.
It is the first time since October 2001 that the labor and management sides have issued a joint statement.
In the statement, the two bodies said the government should take steps to halt further deterioration in the job market, such as providing financial aid to employers and expanding the scope of unemployment benefits.
Keidanren and Rengo also called on the government to promote job creation in nursing care, child care and the agricultural sector by expanding public spending.