101^st Session of the ILC　Address by Toshiaki Ota, Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan

　First of all, I would like to express our utmost appreciation to the Director-General, Mr Juan Somavia, for his successful leadership and achievement for as many as 13 years. The realization of “decent work”, which Mr Somavia has advocated, is regarded as an overarching expression of the current mission of the ILO and underscores the relevance of the Organization as well as employment and social policies in the international community. Member States, including Japan, are united to make efforts to achieve decent work for all.

　Mr. Chair,
　Japan had the honour of hosting the 15th Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting last December, contributing to the success of the Meeting. While the Meeting was postponed due to the great East Japan earthquake of 11 March last year, the meeting in Kyoto was realized thanks to the full understanding and powerful support from the Government, workers and employers of Asia, the Pacific and the Arab region, as well as the International Labour Office. Once again I would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation for this meeting, which included documents on lessons learned on employment policy towards natural disaster response. Holding the meeting in Japan became a valuable opportunity to show our recovery from the disaster to the world, and constituted one great step towards realizing decent work in the region.

　Mr. Chair,
　Japan has been facing many serious challenges it has not experienced before, including the great East Japan earthquake, nuclear power plant accidents, and global credit uncertainty. In the midst of this historically unprecedented crisis, we have to restore “Japan, a country of hope and pride”. In order to revitalize Japan, the Government has developed a clear strategy. We are strongly committed to further strengthening growth potentials, restoring a “large middle class”, recovering from earthquake damage and nuclear power plant accidents, and achieving both economic growth and fiscal balance improvements.

　Under this strategy, the Government of Japan is now developing a comprehensive reform of social security and taxes. The creation of a society in which everyone coexists, finding his or her role and ensuring his or her participation in society through employment, is vital. It is also necessary that this society be sustained by a “large middle class” without huge disparities. In order to realize such a society, in which people can have hope and pride and feel secure, we are aiming to develop a “social security system responding to all generations”, ensuring quality within and among generations in terms of both benefit and burden. We are sure that the realization of such social security will lead to sustainable development.

　Mr. Chair,
　In the Governing Body, held just before the International Labour Conference, Mr Guy Ryder was elected as the new Director-General. I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to him.
　His leadership will usher in the new phase in the ILO and the ILO will enter upon an era of change. In Japan we have a proverb that says “Remember your original intention”. I would like him to again make efforts to realize the ILO Constitution, stating that “universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice” as the basic idea of the ILO. Its essence is embodied by the four pillars of the ILO - employment, social protection, social dialogue and the fundamental principles and rights at work.

　Mr. Chair,
　As the international community suffers from a global financial and employment crisis, the presence of the ILO, aimed at realizing social justice, has become increasingly stronger. Respecting tripartism, the ILO should meet the expectations of the international community by making the most of its expertise and resources through standard-setting and the supervision of international labour standards, technical cooperation and the development of international policies. In this regard, we believe that the situation that has occurred in the supervisory system of international labour standards uring this Conference could be resolved by a tripartite agreement.

　In closing, the Government of Japan expresses its continuing support for the activities of the ILO, entrusted with such an important mission, to the greatest extent possible.