One notable development in Japan's labor relations is the rapid increase in disputes between individual employers and workers, such as those involving sudden dismissals and unpaid wages. To settle these disputes legally and quickly, the government has decided to set up a "labor tribunal system."
The proposed system will provide workers with a more effective means of resolving their disputes with employers. It will also help employers settle disputes more efficiently. A related bill is expected to reach the Diet next month. It should be voted into law as soon as possible.
Labor trial systems exist in other countries, but they differ from the planned system in an important way: Experts in employment issues and labor-management relations handle labor lawsuits on an equal footing with court judges. As a legal means of settling individual labor disputes, though, the Japanese model could serve as a new type of participatory trial similar to these foreign practices.