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Foreigners stage a sit-in outside Diet to protest immigration bills
About 20 foreign workers [including members of NUGW Tokyo Nambu] and their supporters staged a sit-in Tuesday in front of the Diet to demand that bills to revise the immigration law be scrapped. The bills, now before the Lower House Judicial Affairs Committee, would put a greater burden on foreign workers and violate their rights,…
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Proposed foreigner card protested
Opponents of change to immigration law fear loss of privacy, other human rights violations More than 200 people [including former members of the National Union of General Workers Tokyo Nambu] rallied in Tokyo’s Shinbashi district Sunday to protest government-sponsored immigration bills they claim would violate the privacy of foreign residents and strengthen government control over…
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Unions gather in Tokyo, nationwide for May Day labor events
Members of Japan’s labor unions gathered in Tokyo and other cities across the country for the 80th Central May Day event Friday. The participants called for a halt to both temporary and permanent worker layoffs, under slogans such as “Eliminate unemployment and poverty!” and “Major companies, use your reserves and protect employment!” The National Trade…
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Berlitz blitz against union bogs down
In December, after a year of strike action by over 100 teachers, the company filed a lawsuit against seven union members. Named in the suit are five Berlitz teachers who volunteer as Berlitz General Union Tokyo (Begunto) executives and two officials from the National Union of General Workers Tokyo Nambu: President Yujiro Hiraga and Louis…
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Which Side Are You On?: Hakenmura and the Working Poor as a Tipping Point in Japanese Labor Politics
Toshikoshi Hakenmura: A Japanese “Hooverville” In Japan, the week or so from the end of December through the first days of the New Year constitute the longest and most solemn holiday of the year. Mainstream newspapers and TV news programs during this week are typically filled with mundane reports of the events of the season.…
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March in March 2009
Thank you to the over 400 marchers who made this year’s March in March a success! More March in March 2009 Photos
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Court forcibly removes sacked workers who continued to operate hotel
Tokyo District Court enforcement officers on Sunday forcibly removed sacked workers who had continued to operate a hotel in Tokyo even after it was closed down in October last year due to financial difficulties. The situation arose after the original operator of the Keihin Hotel decided to close it down and fire its approximately 130…
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Laid-off hotel workers thrown out
Officials from the Tokyo District Court evicted former workers from the Keihin Hotel in front of JR Shinagawa Station on Sunday, based on a Jan. 15 provisional ruling that supported the owner’s decision to sell the facility. The former workers and labor union members [including members of NUGW Tokyo Nambu] who were supporting them occupied…
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Sour Strawberries Preview
Featuring interviews with Nambu FWC allies Kanagawa City Union, Zentoitsu Workers Union, activist Arudou Debito, and scenes from the March in March 2008 march through Shibuya, Tokyo: