99th ILC Plenary speech by Mr. Ritsuo Hosokawa, Senior Vice-Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, Government of Japan Afternoon session of 17th June 2010

Thank you, Mr. Chair,

It is a great honour for me to have been given this opportunity to speak on behalf of the Japanese Government at the International Labour Conference.

In Japan, following the general elections last summer, a major change of government took place for the first time in the last half-century. The new administration advocates the principle of “Putting People’s Lives First”, and has addressed a number of challenges.

First, I would like to speak about Civil Service Reform.

In Japan, since 1948, basic labour rights of public service employees have been restricted due to “their distinctive status” and “the public nature of their functions performed,” while they benefit from appropriate compensatory measures.

Given such circumstances, the new administration is planning sweeping reforms of the national civil service system, and the recovery of basic labour rights is positioned as one of the most important issues.

Hereafter, the Government of Japan will accelerate examination targeting the granting of basic labour rights and make its best endeavors to submit the relevant bill to the next ordinary session of the Diet. Also, we have established an examining committee on the right to organize of Fire Defense Personnel within the government, and the committee will compile its findings this autumn.

The Government of Japan has done its utmost to have meaningful discussions and achieve fruitful civil service reform, bearing in mind the basic idea that frank exchanges of views and coordination with relevant organizations are necessary. We will continue such an approach.

Mr. Chair,

The unprecedented economic crisis taught us many lessons. In Japan, the new administration is launching the framework of the “New Growth Strategy” based on these lessons as a vision for post-crisis economic policy, and one of its pillars is “Employment and human resource strategy”.

First, in the “New Growth Strategy,” it is made clear that the Government is going to address various programs towards the “realization of Decent Work,” because ensuring the high quality of employment is the basis of domestic demand-led economic growth.

Also, facing the particular demographic trend of lower fertility and aging, the Government of Japan is going to make efforts in order to establish the “Japan model to overcome low fertility and aging.” It targets overcoming the decrease in labour force and heightening its growth rate by promoting the participation of youth, women and the elderly in the labour market and skills development.

The new administration established an “Employment Strategy Dialogue” with delegates of governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations to promote social dialogue on important employment policy issues. Recently, policy goals to be achieved by 2020 and measures for “Employment and human resource strategy” were agreed upon at the “Employment Strategy Dialogue”. The tripartite agreement is going to be reflected in the “New Growth Strategy”.

Mr. Chair,

As we are recovering from the crisis, what we seek is a society where job quality, a social safety net and human investment are valued and inequality and poverty are not reproduced. In other words, a society where opportunity for social participation and the fruits of economic growth are extended to all.

In order to build a new such society, it is essential for the ILO, whose objective is realizing social justice, to fully play its role by utilizing its expertise and resources through the appropriate settings and supervision of international labour standards, advice on policies and technical cooperation.

Let me conclude by reiterating Japan’s commitment of its support for the ILO’s activities for the realization of Decent Work.

Thank you very much.