The history of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo)

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Rengo head Washio plans to retire
The Japan Times, 12 June 2001. Etsuya Washio, president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, said he will retire when his term expires in October. Washio played a leading role in swinging Rengo's support behind the Democratic Party of Japan, the main opposition party.
Rengo names Sasamori new leader
The Japan Times, 28 September 2001. The Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) on Thursday elected its general secretary Kiyoshi Sasamori as its new president, replacing the retiring Etsuya Washio. Sasamori was elected unopposed because no one else filed candidacies.
Management-labor cooperation urged
The Japan Times, 13 September 2002. The heads of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) and the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) agreed that management and labor need to cooperate in areas such as pensions and medical care. Rather than confronting each other, management and labor should cooperate in a wide rage of areas including government policies.
Rengo officials implicated in donation tax-evasion scam
The Japan Times, 5 November 2002. Senior members of the Kyoto branch of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) received tax deductions by falsely claiming to have made 18.7 million yen in donations to the union's political arm and manipulated the books to inflate expenses so the figures would matchm.
Rengo shift reflects job crisis
Yomiuri Shimbun, 27 January 2003. The decision by the Japan Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) to consider changing its policy to back Liberal Democratic Party candidates in the next House of Representatives election reflects the labor union's worries over the current severe employment situation.
Rengo facing crisis over ‘shunto’
The Japan Times, 27 January 2004. Management has suggested that there may be decreases in basic wages and that annual spring labor campaigns for higher wages are dead. After being re-elected chairman Sasamori declared he would reconstruct Rengo. The ratio of union members to the total number of workers has dipped to 19.6 percent, the worst in the postwar era.