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Japanese Federation of Labour

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The Japanese Federation of Labour (Japanese: 日本労働組合総同盟 Nihon Rōdō Kumiai Sōdōmei) was a national trade union federation in Japan.

The federation was established in 1946, principally through the efforts of trade unionists, who had been involved in the pre-war Japanese Labour Federation. The new federation aligned itself with the Japan Socialist Party.[1] By 1948, it claimed a total of 924,302 members, slightly less than its communist rival, Sanbetsu.[2]

In 1950, many affiliates left to join the new General Council of Trade Unions of Japan, and by 1954, membership of Sodomei affiliates had fallen to 240,000. That year, many of its remaining affiliates split away to join the new All-Japan Trade Union Congress (Zenro), the surviving Sodomei being a small, conservative group with seven affiliates. In 1964, it merged with Zenro and the National Council of Government and Public Workers' Unions, to form the Japanese Confederation of Labour.[3][4]

Affiliates

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The following unions were affiliated in 1945:[5]

Union Abbreviation
National Textile Industry Labor Union Alliance Zensendomei
National Metal Industry Labor Union Alliance Zenkindomei
National Chemical Industry Labor Union Alliance Kagakudomei
National Timber Industry Labor Union Alliance
National Food Industry Trade Union Alliance Zenkoku Shokuhin
National Armed Forces Labor Union Alliance Zenchuro
Kanto Transport Labor Union Alliance
Japan Mining Labor Union Nikko
National Monopoly Bureau Labor Union Zensenbai
Japan Medical Corps Staff Union General Union
Japan Urban Transportation Labor Union Federation Toshiko
National Printing Industry Labor Union Alliance Zeninsatsu
National Federation of Labor Unions Zenkokudoken

The following unions were later affiliates:

Abbreviation Union Founded Left Reason left Membership (1958)[6]
Zenka Domei National Federation of Chemical Workers 1951 1964 Transferred to Domei 31,801
Zen Doken Domei National Federation of Construction Workers' Unions 1,462
Zen Shokuhin Domei National Federation of Food Industry Workers' Unions 1947 1964 Transferred to Domei 13,800
Kowan Jyunbikai Preparatory Committee of National Federation of Harbour Workers' Unions Transferred to Domei 1,916
Shin Mitsubishi Jyuko Shin Mitsubishi Heavy Industry Workers' Union 1964 Transferred to Domei 22,314
Zenkin Domei National Federation of Metal Industry Workers' Unions 1951 1964 Transferred to Domei 64,043
Zen Tanko National Coal Mine Workers' Union 1952 1964 Transferred to Domei 44,604
Sodomei Ken Rengokai Prefectural Associations of Sodomei 35,574
Zosen Soren National Federation of Shipbuilding Workers' Unions 1951 1964 Transferred to Domei 28,462
Zen Koun Domei National Federation of Transport Workers' Unions 1964 Merged into Kotsuroren 6,059

Presidents

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1946: Komakichi Matsuoka
1952: Yonekichi Kim
1959: Masashichi Motoi

References

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  1. ^ Nimura, Kazuo. "The Labor Union Movement at the Beginnings of Post-WWII Society in Japan". Kazuo Nimura. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Moran, William T. (1949). "Labor Unions in Postwar Japan". Far Eastern Survey. 18 (21). doi:10.2307/3024155. JSTOR 3024155.
  3. ^ Levine, Solomon B. (1954). "Prospects of Japanese Labor". Far Eastern Survey. 23 (5). doi:10.2307/3024094. JSTOR 3024094.
  4. ^ Chaffee, Frederick H. (1969). Area Handbook for Japan. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
  5. ^ The Labour Year Book of Japan (PDF). 1945. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  6. ^ Mitchell, James P. (1958). Director of Labor Organizations: Asia and Australasia. Washington DC: United States Department of Labor.