Japanese Trade Union Confederation

Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengō), Japanese in full Nihon Rōdō Kumiai Sōrengōkai, largest national trade union in Japan. The federation was founded in 1989 and absorbed its predecessors—including the General Council of Trade Unions of Japan (Sōhyō), the Japanese Confederation of Labour (Dōmei), and others—and brought together both private- and public-sector unions.

Labour unions began forming in Japan in the late 19th century, but they were disbanded during World War II. After the war the labour movement was relaunched, but it remained divided for decades. With the birth of Dōmei in 1964, four organizations—Sōhyo, Dōmei, the Federation of Independent Labour Unions (Chūritsu Rōren), and the National Federation of Industrial Organizations (Shinsambetsu)—became equal leaders. In 1967 a battle for unity began, and unsuccessful talks to unify private-sector unions took place in 1970 and 1973. In light of this failure, a few major private-sector federations teamed up, launching a joint conference to promote policy-based demands. From the late 1970s they organized annually to campaign for higher wages, and under a then-sluggish economy the four organizations developed joint activities.

With these achievements, in 1982 the National Council of Trade Unions in the Private Sector (Zenmin Rōkyō) was formed with 41 industrial federations and 4.25 million members and was recognized by the four organizations. In 1987 the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (i.e., Rengō) for the private sector was formed, and it merged with public-sector federations—into what is sometimes known as Shin (“New”) Rengō—in 1989 with eight million members. Consequently, the four constituent organizations dissolved. Unions affiliated with the Japan Communist Party criticized this move as an expansion of class collaboration and formed its own national centre, the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenrōren).

In accordance with its mission to defend the rights and improve the living standards of working persons, Rengō established the Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards, a labour-related think tank, and the Japan International Labour Foundation.