Tag - labor-unions

 
Menu
Search
 
July 05, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

LABOR UNIONS

JAPAN
Nov 21, 2018
3,000 foreign employees join ramen noodle shop's workers union
Ramen noodle restaurant operator Hiday Co. says its workers formed a labor union, with some 3,000 foreign employees — mostly part-timers — joining the union's ranks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 20, 2018
GM Korea fails to reach wage deal, edging closer to bankruptcy filing
General Motors' South Korean unit and its labor union failed to reach a wage deal by Friday, breaching a deadline set by the U.S. automaker to seek bankruptcy protection for the loss-making unit.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / OBITUARY
Dec 24, 2017
Ryan Smith: Father, husband, communist
During the early hours of Tuesday, Dec. 12, Tozen Union member Ryan Smith (aka Jon Doe) took his own life. He was 37.
BUSINESS
Oct 6, 2017
Rengo to demand 2% pay hike at spring wage negotiations
The Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) will request a pay scale increase for the fifth straight year during the 2018 shunto spring labor-management wage negotiations, according to sources.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 1, 2017
Yamato Transport looks at ways to ease burdens on drivers as online purchases skyrocket
Amid its annual shunto spring wage negotiations, major courier firm Yamato Transport Co. said Wednesday it may seek to implement measures to ease burdens placed on delivery drivers to improve working conditions.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Nov 27, 2016
'Five-year rule' triggers 'Tohoku college massacre' of jobs
I have discussed the "five-year rule" several times before in this column — the revision of the Labor Contract Law (Rodo Keiyaku Ho) enacted in 2013. Under the amendment, any worker employed on serial fixed-term contracts (yūki koyō) for more than five years can give themselves permanent status....
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 26, 2015
Ripped-off bar hostesses in Japan stand up for their rights
With an increase in nonregular employment driving more women into the night entertainment business, some are turning to labor unions to deal with clubs that try to con them.
BUSINESS
Dec 3, 2015
Japan unions plan to dial back wage demands by half
A labor group whose members include Toyota Motor Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and Panasonic Corp.'s unions said they will seek half the minimum wage increase in 2016 compared with its plans entering this fiscal year.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 23, 2015
I've been unfairly dismissed — what can I do?
A reader asks: 'I want to make the company withdraw my dismissal or get compensation from them. What options do I have?'
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jun 28, 2015
Has striking in Japan become extinct?
"Strike." Dear reader, what do you think when you hear this word? What impression do you get? Do you see the blood, sweat and tears? Do you see an angry, vicious mob disturbing our civil society? I bet a majority of Japanese people under the age of 40 have neither a positive nor negative impression of...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 30, 2014
Macau casino dealers take industrial action for first time
Casino dealers working in one of the most popular casinos in the gambling hub of Macau started industrial action on Saturday for the first time in the Chinese territory as discontent over salaries and working benefits spreads.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 3, 2014
Workers stumble while 'Abenomics' soars
Japanese stocks and profits are soaring under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to revive the economy. Even shop prices are up, a key step after years of deflation kept pocketbooks shut tight. None of that matters to Shuzo Matsui.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jun 18, 2013
Why workers can no longer wear their demands on their sleeves
Dear reader, where are you from? To what era do you belong? I was born in 1971 in Japan and grew up here, too, but I've never — in all my years visiting hotels, restaurants, shops or government offices — seen workers wearing vests, armbands, badges, ribbons or bandanas with political messages. I've...
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER