Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2012, published 102nd ILC session (2013)

Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 (No. 131) - Japan (Ratification: 1971)

Article 1 of the Convention. Scope of minimum wages. Further to its previous comment, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that four bills related to civil service reform, including the proposed abolition of the National Personnel Authority (NPA) as a minimum wage fixing body for public employees and the authorization of public employees to conclude collective agreements, were submitted to the Diet in June 2011 but their examination had to be postponed. The Committee requests the Government to keep the Office informed of further developments and to provide a detailed account of the legislative amendments once they have been adopted.

In addition, the Committee notes the comments of the Japan Trade Union Confederation (JTUC–RENGO) which were appended to the Government’s report. According to the JTUC–RENGO, the special minimum wages which are established for four categories of fishers under section 35 of the Minimum Wages Act leave 46 per cent of the total number of fishers uncovered by any form of minimum wage. The JTUC–RENGO deplores that some 30 years after the establishment of the first special minimum wage rates for seafarers, the situation has not changed and a large number of fishers are still unprotected. The Committee requests the Government to transmit any comments it may wish to make in response to the observations of the JTUC–RENGO.