ABSTRACT
What has the role of the labor movement been in the process of institutional change in Japan, and what role is it likely to play in the current process of institutional reform? Given the deeply ingrained image of the Japanese labor movement as “cooperative” unions subservient to management, perhaps this is not a question that comes readily to mind when thinking about the process of institutional change in contemporary Japan. However, the fact remains that despite a dwindling rate of union density, in terms of sheer membership numbers Japanese unions remain the country’s largest organized mass interest group and, thanks to the practice of automatic dues check off, unions remain a major source of funding for political parties as well as a source of candidates. Furthermore, if we extend our gaze overseas, there are numerous precedents for unions acting as a major force in shaping the process of institutional change in both the political and economic arenas, in particular where marketizing institutional reforms of the sort that are being pursued in Japan today are involved. In this sense, the engagement of unions certainly has the potential to become an important factor in the process of institutional reform.
