ABSTRACT
The ideals of harmonism and moral community formed the parameters within which the movement developed and wartime labour policy was formed. The role of the Kyochokai in the debates over the creation of a national labour relations policy was subsumed in the larger clash between bureaucrats and businessmen. The Industrial Patriotism Federation came to reflect the Zensanren position in large measure because Kawarada and the bureaucrats recognized that business support was crucial in any labour relations plan. The congruity of the Kyochokai and Social Bureau positions on social questions during the 1920s suggests one of the Kyochokai’s most significant roles. By 1935 efforts were underway to devise institutional mechanisms for ordering and regulating labour relations. Police mediation efforts and monitoring of labour activities served an essentially negative function, police officials simply watched developments and settled disputes once they had broken out. The value of council development seemed to be confirmed in 1937.
