RENGO-Nippon Keidanren Regular Meeting Opinions Exchanged on Economy, Social Security, Jobs (2 oct 2003)

On September 24, RENGO and Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) held their regular meeting at Keidanren Kaikan Hall in Tokyo where opinions were exchanged on a wide range of issues including economic and fiscal management, social security, employment and labor. Showing its vision, RENGO said that in order to ensure economic recovery the government should immediately compile and implement the FY 2003 supplementary budget and that it is necessary to resolve our citizen’s distrust of pension in the FY 2004 pension system reform. RENGO also emphasized the importance of labor and management working together to improve the job situation, pursue ‘safe control,’ ‘personnel management,’ ‘time management,’ and so on to prevent accidents from occurring. The twelve attendees from RENGO included RENGO President Sasamori, Acting President Sakakibara and others, and the fourteen from Nippon Keidanren included Chairman Okuda and Vice Chairman Nishimuro. Photo: Attendees expressed a broad range of opinions without sticking to a specific theme. (September 24, Tokyo.) At the outset RENGO President Sasamori and Nippon Keidanren Chairman Okuda each gave speeches. Sasamori expressed his deep concerns over the bi-polarization in the social economy and employment due to the Koizumi administration’s stance on structural reform and further pointed out that “anxiety over employment,” “anxiety for the future” and “anxiety over security” are widespread across Japan. In order to resolve these three anxieties Sasamori emphasized that “highest priority is economic recovery” and continued to say that how crucial it is that we pay due attention to small to mid-sized businesses to rejuvenate and revitalize the economy. Sasamori touched on the employment problem saying “we ask (management) to show restraint against too easily or opportunistically downsizing” and urged further action from management to relieve the unemployed and to hold down unemployment. He also touched on issues establishing a safe and reliable pension system which will lead to the elimination of future uneasiness, activities to revitalize labor movement. Moreover, Sasamori expressed regret that Nippon Keidanren had restarted making political donations. Responding, Chairman Okuda pointed out that “employment and social security are the most important issues right now” and said that the peoples’ uneasiness over livelihoods creates a vicious cycle of downward consumption making it important to push steadily ahead with employment improvement and economic recovery. Further, calling the recent multiple large accidents an issue that businesses should reflect on, Okada said that the buildup of personnel and wage cuts are inviting serious accidents. Regarding political donations, Okuda said that individual companies had been donating lawfully and that he is not happy to hear press coverage heralding the “revival of donations” or a “resurgence of influence-peddling.” During an exchange of opinions after the speeches, RENGO General Secretary Kusano ardently appealed for the necessity of a supplementary budget, tax reform, cooperation among the three payer organizations on medical consultation fee revision, coordination between labor and management on safety, personnel, and time management in order to prevent accidents before they occur, and to improve the actual conditions in the workplace. Furthermore, the eight attendees from RENGO including Acting President Sakakibara and the seven attendees from Nippon Keidanren including Vice Chairman Nishimuro stated various opinions such as job measures for the young and seniors, the contents of the Position Paper prepared by Keidanren’s Committee on Management and Labor Policy, measures on small to mid-sized businesses, equal treatment for part-time workers and other workers, issues on multi-national corporations, and regulatory reform. At that time, Nippon Keidanren sympathized with RENGO’s idea that social security and the tax system should be considered in conjunction with each other, they also said they are in agreement on cooperation over medical consultant fee revision.

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