Japanese Trade Union Confederation (RENGO)

RENGO News

JTUC-RENGO held its 19th Biennial Convention in Tokyo on October 7-8, 2025

08 October 2025

JTUC-RENGO 19th Biennial Convention

JTUC-RENGO held its 19th Biennial Convention in Tokyo on October 7-8, 2025 under the slogan of “Taking Bold Action for a Secure Society! Expanding the circle of Understanding, Empathy, and Participation.” In addition to confirming the Action Policies for the upcoming two years, new executive officers were also elected.

In the opening greeting, President Tomoko Yoshino stated, “In the 18th term we realized wage increases exceeding 5% for two consecutive years and achieved rises in the minimum wage, which now exceeds 1,000 yen in all prefectures. At the same time, the reality is that benefits of this are not reaching everyone, and the next Spring Labour Offensive (Shunto; labour-management negotiations on wages and working conditions taking place in the spring season in Japan) will be the crucial juncture. We will go forward with the reform to ‘protect the lives and dignity of working people,’ which includes the rectification of long working hours and the prevention of harassment.”

President Yoshino went on to say, “The primary challenge for the 19th term is ‘organizational expansion.’ We will promote trust in trade unions and build organizations that have ‘mental safety,’ where workers can express their voices without hesitation, and have this evolve inseparably with gender equality and the promotion of diversity. Let us advance together with one heart as we set out on this new path.”

Greetings were given by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, Takamaro Fukuoka; President of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Yoshihiko Noda, and President of the Democratic Party for the People, Yuichiro Tamaki as guests of honour.

We also received greetings from Luc Triangle, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); Shoya Yoshida, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation - Asia Pacific (ITUC-AP), Veronica Nilsson, General Secretary of the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) and Nozomu Tomita, Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Japan. A video message was also received from Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the ILO.

In the new “FY2026-FY2027 Action Policies,” we confirmed the policies of “aiming for the realization of ‘A Secure Society based on Work’ where all working people can live with peace of mind; developing a sustainable labour movement on the pillars of organizational expansion, gender equality, and the promotion of diversity; pushing forward with the entrenchment of wage rises and the resolution of disparities, the rectification of long working hours, and the integrated reform of tax and social security systems; as well as expanding the circle of ‘understanding, empathy, and participation’ through a linking of policies and movements.”

A total of 62 executive officers were elected, including President Tomoko Yoshino (JAM), Deputy President Tomoko Nagashima (UA Zensen), Deputy President Chihiro Ishigami (Jichiro), General Secretary Masashi Jimbo (Denki Rengo), and a further 15 Vice Presidents, 5 Assistant General Secretaries, 34 Central Executive Committee members, and 4 Accounts Auditors.

In her inaugural remarks, President Yoshino stated, with gratitude and respect, “I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart all of you, in the affiliates and local RENGO organizations as well as in JTUC-RENGO Headquarters, for all your hard work up to this time. I hereby express my deep respect for your achievements in contributing to our development and for supporting the JTUC-RENGO movement over many years.” President Yoshino then declared her determination by stating, “On the basis of the movements that have been nurtured thus far, all of us who are new executive officers, will grasp the social changes with precision and move forward by challenging new issues in a speedy manner. While supporting affiliated trade unions, we will go forward with efforts to stand closely with the many as yet unorganized working people, aspiring to build a society where we all enrich our lives together. We will forge ahead with the ‘JTUC-RENGO movement’ together in firm solidarity with every one of you.”

The convention ended with the unanimous adoption of the Convention Declaration: “We aim for the realization of ‘A Secure Society based on Work’ in the face of intensifying challenges such as population decline, the expansion of disparities, and climate change. We will push forward with the promotion of wage rises that exceed price rises and work style reform, organizational expansion, the nurturing of human resources, and gender equality to build a society in which all working people can live with hope and a sense of security. We hereby declare that we will appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons and for a lasting peace, and will act by expanding the circle of understanding, empathy, and participation.”

≫　Convention Declaration