() was a Japanese

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

centre between 1946 and 1958. When it was founded in 1946 it emerged as the main force in the Japanese post-war labour movement and led a campaign of militant strikes. However, it suffered a major backlash after only a few months in existence when a planned

general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...

was aborted. Internal divisions followed, and the organization was never able to recover its initial strength.

Founding

''Sanbetsu'' was founded in August 1946. During its early phase it counted with around 1.5 million members. ''Sanbetsu'' was organized on initiative of the

Japanese Communist Party The is a left-wing to far-left political party in Japan. With approximately 270,000 members belonging to 18,000 branches, it is one of the largest non-governing communist parties in the world. The party advocates the establishment of a democr ...

, and the key leaders of the organization were communists. The organization was able to mobilize a large section of white-collar workers in government and civil service sectors. Salaries in the public sectors were about a half of salaries in the private sector, a fact that enabled the public sector to become a centre of radical trade unionism. ''Sanbetsu'' also established a foothold in the transportation sector.

Scalapino, Robert A. Robert Anthony Scalapino (19 October 1919 – 1 November 2011) (Chinese name: 施樂伯) was an American political scientist particularly involved in East Asian studies. He was one of the founders and first chairman of the National Committee on ...

The Japanese Communist Movement, 1920–1966
'. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1967. p. 68 ''Kokurō'' ('National Railway Workers Union') was an important ''Sanbetsu'' union.Takemae, Eiji, and Robert Ricketts.
The Allied Occupation of Japan
'. New York .a. Continuum, 2003. p. 323

October labour offensive

In October 1946 Sanbetsu launched an offensive wave of strikes. Over one hundred strikes, involving around 180,000 workers, were organized. The energy, coal mine and electrical equipment industry sectors were centres of strike activity.Burkett, Paul, and Martin Hart-Landsberg.
Development, Crisis, and Class Struggle: Learning from Japan and East Asia
'. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000. p. 90 The key demands of the "October labour offensive" was establishment of minimum wage based on

cost of living Cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living. Changes in the cost of living over time can be operationalized in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare the cost of maintaining a c ...

, improved retirement-pay system and democratization of the energy industry. In the midst of the October offensive Hosoya Matsuta (deputy general secretary of ''Sanbetsu'') declared that the struggle of the unions was no longer merely economic but also political.Gerteis, Christopher.
Gender Struggles Wage-Earning Women and Male-Dominated Unions in Postwar Japan
'. Cambridge, MA .a. Harvard University Asia Center, 2009. p. 20 He declared that the unions would topple the

Yoshida Yoshida (written: 吉田 lit. "lucky ricefield") is the 11th most common Japanese surname. A less common variant is 芳田 (lit. "fragrant ricefield"). Notable people with the surname include: *Ai Yoshida, Japanese sailor *, Japanese idol, singer ...

cabinet through a general strike and establish a popular democratic government.Kume, Ikuno.
Disparaged success: labor politics in postwar Japan
'. 1998. pp. 55-56 Following the October offensive two ''Sanbetsu'' unions, ''Kokurō'' and ''Zentei'' ('Communication Ministry Workers Union'), launched a struggle for higher salaries. During this campaign calls for the overthrow of Yoshida were raised. By the end of the year, ''Sanbetsu'' was clearly the dominant force in the Japanese labour movement. ''Sanbetsu'' took part in the Economic Recovery Conference together with other unions and employers' organizations. However, the organization was reluctant to become part of the corporativist system that the Economic Recovery Conference projected.

Aborted General Strike of 1947

''Sanbetsu'' planned a major

for February 1, 1947. Hosoya Matsuta and the Kokurō leader Ii Yashiro founded ''Zentō'' ('Joint Strike Action National Committee'), consisting of ''Sanbetsu'', ''Sodomei'', ''Nichirō Kaigi'', the Communist Party and the

Japan Socialist Party The was a socialist and progressive political party in Japan that existed from 1945 to 1996. The party was founded as the Social Democratic Party of Japan by members of several proletarian parties that existed before World War II, including ...

. The demand of the strike was improvement of conditions for public sector employees. Four million workers were expected to take part in the strike. During the preparations for the strike, the political atmosphere was tense. The ''Sanbetsu'' president was severely wounded in an assassination attempt in January 1947. However, the

Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the United States-led Allied occupation of Japan following World War II. It issued SCAP Directives (alias SCAPIN, SCAP Index Number) to the Japanese government, aiming to suppress its "milita ...

intervened and blocked the strike, claiming that the strike was contrary to the welfare of the Japanese people. The preparations for the strike had led to divisions between communists and non-communists within ''Sanbetsu''. In its aftermath, the failed strike resulted in a political backlash for ''Sanbetsu'' and the Communist Party. Restrictions on union organizing in the public sector was imposed and key communists were fired from their employments. As a result, defections and splits occurred in ''Sanbetsu''.

The Japanese Communist Movement, 1920–1966
'. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1967. p. 69 ''Sanbetsu'' opposed Japanese re-entry into the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

Mindō split

In 1948, dissidents of ''Sanbetsu'' founded ''Sanbetsu Mindō'' ('League for the Democratization of Sanbetsu'), opposed to the dominance of the Communist Party in ''Sanbetsu''. Hosoya Matsuta led the rebellion. The ''Mindō'' movement began in ''Kokurō''.Harari, Ehud.
The Politics of Labor Legislation in Japan
'. Berkeley sw. University of California Press, 1973. p. 70 The development of the ''Mindō'' movement was actively encouraged by the American occupation authorities. In 1949 the ''Mindō'' movement was expelled from ''Sanbetsu'', but the strength of ''Sanbetsu'' had been severely curtailed by the divisions and expulsions.

Decline

By 1950, in the aftermath of the feud with ''Mindō'', ''Sanbetsu'' had around 290,000 members. The All Japan Harbour Workers' Union left ''Sanbetsu'' in February 1950. By 1951, ''Sanbetsu'' membership stood at around 47,000. In 1953 the combined membership of ''Sanbetsu'' unions was merely 13,000. ''Sanbetsu'' dissolved itself in 1958.Kume, Ikuno.
Disparaged success: labor politics in postwar Japan
'. 1998. p. 57

Organizational profile

The organization worked on the basis of the principle "one factory plant, one union", which was the line of the

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation of ...

.Kume, Ikuno.
Disparaged success: labor politics in postwar Japan
'. 1998. p. 57 ''Sanbetsu'' joined the WFTU in 1950. ''Sanbetsu'' issued the publication ''Rengo Sensen''.Yamamoto, Mari.
Grassroots Pacifism in Post-War Japan: The Rebirth of a Nation
'. London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2004. p. 40

Presidents

:1946: Katsumi Kikunami :1947: Sugado :1949: Sukeharu Yoshida :1956: Fukuhei Ichikawa

References

{{Authority control National trade union centers of Japan Trade unions established in 1946 Trade unions disestablished in 1958 World Federation of Trade Unions