Labour relations commissions and industrial relations : the era of great conciliators

This paper describes the involvement of the Central Labour Relations Commission in adjusting major nationwide disputes over a period of about 15 years from its creation in 1946 until 1960. The purpose in doing so is to enhance understanding of the role played by Japan’s Labour Relations Commissions in industrial relations. The discussion follows the course of four important disputes adjusted under the guidance of the Central Labour Relations Commission’s 2nd Chairman Izutaro Suehiro and the 3rd Chairman Ichiro Nakayama—specifically, the 1946 Densan dispute, the 1946‒47 wage dispute by public sector employees, the 1952 Tanro-Densan dispute, and the 1959‒1960 Miike Mine dispute.