ABSTRACT
On the face of it, the period 1961-73 should have been a golden age for Nikkeiren. One after another, militant unions had been defeated in the succession of major labour disputes which had punctuated the earlier period 1948-60. With the end of the massive struggle at Mitsui Miike Coal Mines in late 1960, it was difficult to draw any other conclusion than that union strength was no match for the power of the employers, particularly when the latter were led by a determined and resourceful organization like Nikkeiren. In addition, the Japanese economy had already entered a phase of spectacular economic growth by the late 1950s and this was to be maintained, virtually without interruption, throughout the period 1961-73. Only once (in 1965) did the annual rate of economic growth fall below 5 per cent and the annual average compound growth rate for the years 1960-73 was 9.9 per cent, compared to 4.1 per cent in the USA, 4.5 per cent in West Germany and 5.5 per cent for the world as a whole (Financial Times: 22 July 1982).
