Japan’s surrender and the start of the Allied Occupation (SCAP/GHQ) created the political opening for rapid re-legalization and expansion of organized labor, setting the stage for intense postwar labor struggles and later purges.
Sanbetsu (the Congress of Industrial Unions of Japan) was founded and quickly became a major force in the postwar labor upsurge, associated with militant strike waves and strong left influence in key sectors.
The Labor Relations Adjustment Act (Act No. 25) provided dispute-resolution mechanisms (mediation/conciliation/arbitration) intended to prevent and settle labor disputes and support “industrial peace,” becoming a central pillar of postwar industrial relations.
The National Council of Government and Public Workers’ Unions (Zenkankō) formed to represent public-sector workers, who became central actors in early postwar wage struggles and in conflicts over public-employee labor rights.
A large general strike scheduled for February 1, 1947 was halted when General Douglas MacArthur (SCAP) issued an order prohibiting it on January 31, marking a major turning point toward tighter control of labor militancy under the Occupation.
Japan enacted the Labor Standards Act, establishing statutory minimum standards for working conditions and reinforcing the postwar shift toward formal labor protections amid rapid unionization and social upheaval.
Japan’s postwar Constitution came into effect, and Article 28 explicitly guaranteed workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively—an important constitutional anchor for postwar union activity (even as later policies narrowed public-sector strike rights).
The National Public Service Act (Act No. 120) reorganized national civil service administration and became central to postwar conflicts over the scope of public employees’ labor rights and permissible collective activity.
The Public Corporation Labor Relations Law established rules for collective bargaining and dispute procedures in public corporations, shaping postwar labor relations in major state-linked enterprises and limiting disruptive labor actions in essential services.
Joseph Dodge’s contractionary program (“Dodge Line”) was announced to curb inflation and stabilize Japan’s economy, but its deflationary impact contributed to layoffs and heightened labor conflict—part of the broader Occupation “Reverse Course.”
The Labor Union Act (Act No. 174 of June 1, 1949) established a core legal framework for union organization, collective action, and protection against unfair labor practices during the Occupation era’s institutional rebuilding of labor relations.
Sōhyō (General Council of Trade Unions of Japan) was founded and soon became the most powerful postwar labor federation, closely tied to left-of-center politics and especially strong among public-sector and public-enterprise unions.
The Red Purge unfolded from the late 1940s into the early 1950s, resulting in mass removals of communists and suspected leftists from government posts and private-sector jobs, reshaping union leadership and narrowing space for radical labor politics.
On June 6, 1950, MacArthur issued a directive to Prime Minister Yoshida to purge top Japanese Communist Party officials from public office—an important trigger for the wider Red Purge that expanded into public and private sectors.
With the Treaty of San Francisco taking effect, the Allied Occupation formally ended and Japan’s sovereignty was restored—shifting the institutional environment for labor disputes and consolidating postwar labor law within a fully sovereign state.
Postwar Japanese Labor Movement and Purges (1945–1955)
