Labor Law Reform in Japan: A Response to Recent Socio-Economic Changes

Abstract

Japanese labor law has undergone a number of reforms over the last few years. Significant amendments were made to such major statutes as the Labor Standards Law, the Equal Employment Opportunity Law, the Employment Security Law, and the Worker Dispatching Law. Also, the legislature enacted new statutes such as the Individual Dispute Resolution Law and the Labor Contract Succession Law. In this sense, Japanese labor law is now going into a new phase. These reforms are aimed at bringing the system of labor laws in line with socio-economic changes that are now taking place in Japan. This article analyzes how Japanese labor law has responded to recent socio-economic changes, and it examines the implication of recent reforms. First, Part II briefly describes the current situation regarding employment management and the labor market in Japan. Next, Part III outlines the recent amendments made to major labor laws, and clarifies their relationship with recent socio-economic changes. Then, Part IV considers whether recent reforms have actually affected the fundamental features of Japanese labor law. This article concludes in Part V that these features have been maintained despite the significance of recent reforms.