Organized Labor and Social Conflict in Japan

This chapter analyzes the development of the Japanese labor movement throughout the postwar period. With some exceptions, workers in Japan have been predominantly organized in unions that have had a commitment to a relatively non-confrontational approach toward industrial relations. This organization has come to be challenged in more recent years, however, since the classic model of Japanese labor relations has faced increasing strain as part of the wider changes to the Japanese model of capitalism. Alongside this historical overview of organized labor, the chapter also considers the development of other (non-labor) social movements. This includes those movements that have emerged to promote the interests of social groups whose interests overlap with those of labor but who might not immediately identify themselves as part of the labor movement, such as the homeless, unemployed, and students. The trajectory of social conflict in Japan during the past thirty years has seen a move away from the classic model of social compromise. Various types of social conflict—both inside and outside of the workplace, and involving either workers or those less typically identified with organized labor—have become increasingly common.

Conclusion

This concluding chapter reflects on the trajectory of capitalism in Japan and the role of its precarious workers in that process. The key issues facing Japan are whether and how Japan's new labor movement will develop. It is only in studying this recomposition of Japan's working class that one will be able to understand and explain the trajectory of capitalism as it exists in Japan. It remains to be seen, therefore, whether a new mode of regulation emerges, and what role labor—either regular or nonregular, organized or disorganized—will play in any new socioeconomic regime. What is certain is that any attempt to undermine, sideline, or eradicate labor will ultimately be futile, as workers in Japan (as they do elsewhere) invariably continue to disrupt and resist—in different ways in different times and contexts—efforts to consolidate a model of global neoliberal capitalism that cannot be stable.

Precarious Labor and the Contestation of Policymaking in Japan

This chapter examines the impact of Japan's precarious workers' movement on policymaking in Japan, highlighting three cases through which one can witness the effects of opposition mobilized by Japanese nonregular workers on policy outcomes. In each case, one witnesses political elites being forced to respond to successful mobilizations by precarious workers and organizations that have emerged to represent their interests. These mobilizations have served to attract public attention to the impact that neoliberal government policy has on precarious workers. When faced with criticism and opposition from the public, on each occasion governments were forced either to compromise on policy goals or proposals or to abolish or postpone policies to reduce criticism. While precarious workers were not always able to achieve all of their goals, collectively they have become an important actor that is able to gain concessions or raise significant obstacles to the implementation of neoliberal policy options so that their demands must be accommodated in some way.

From Precarity to Contestation

This chapter highlights the key trends in Japan's labor movement as they have developed in the form of social conflict and protest, drawing on an original data set of protest events in Japan. The data set charts the type of actor, form of protest, and target of the protest for each reported event. These events are a sample taken from key periods in the transformation of Japan's political economy. The findings are used to consider the changing trends in worker-led protest throughout the period of neoliberalization. The results identify heightened contestation, with reported events undertaken increasingly by precarious and nonregular workers using different methods of protest. Ultimately, precarious workers have become increasingly mobilized, contributing to an increased frequency of protests and a greater proclivity toward more confrontational forms of protest activity.

From Coordinated to Disorganized Capitalism in Japan

This chapter discusses the key changes that have been witnessed in Japan's political economy throughout the postwar period. In the 1970s, Japan experienced a slowing of gross domestic product (GDP) growth, although it maintained a growth rate of over 3 percent per year until the late 1980s. Efforts to maintain a sustained level of growth during the 1980s resulted in a “bubble economy,” with asset prices rising rapidly. Deploying a regulation theory approach, the chapter shows how Japan has experienced a process of neoliberalization since its economic bubble burst in 1991, with one of the key effects being the emergence of a new and growing group of precarious nonregular workers. The coordination between firms, workers, and institutions that enabled stability in employment relations from the end of the Second World War to the 1980s has been replaced by a trend toward neoliberalization, deregulation, and a lack of coordination. Ultimately, the Japanese model of capitalism has become increasingly disorganized, resulting in heightened anxiety and insecurity among workers.