Labor Union Act

労働組合法（ろうどうくみあいほう）

The protection of workers' freedom to form labor unions and bargain collectively with employers, with immunity for justifiable union action such as strikes; the unfair labor practices employers must not commit; and the collective agreements unions sign with employers or their organizations.

Text in force since
Promulgated
Articles: 91
Amendments on the way: 2

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What this law does

A labor union under this Act is an organization, or a federation of them, that workers form of their own accord and as its main members, chiefly to maintain and improve working conditions and raise their economic status. It is not a labor union if it admits company officers (役員), supervisors with direct authority over hiring, dismissal, promotion or transfer, supervisors whose access to confidential plans on labor relations conflicts with their duties as members, or others who represent the employer's interests; if it receives the employer's financial help with its running costs, apart from the support the Act allows; if its only aim is mutual aid or welfare; or if it mainly pursues political or social movements. A worker is anyone who lives on wages, a salary or similar income, whatever the occupation.(Art. 2(1), Art. 3(1)) (the provisions it rests on)

Read the full overview

A union can take part in this Act's procedures and receive its remedies only after proving to a Labour Relations Commission, with evidence, that it meets that definition and that its rules contain what Article 5(2) lists: among them, equal rights for members, no loss of membership for race, religion, sex, family origin or status, officers elected by direct secret ballot (in a federation or national union, possibly through delegates so elected), no strike without a majority in such a ballot, a general meeting at least once a year, and accounts certified by a qualified auditor shown to members at least once a year. This does not take away an individual worker's protection against the dismissal or other unfavourable treatment that Article 7(i) forbids. A union the Commission certifies as meeting the Act can become a corporation by registering at its main office.(Art. 5(1), Art. 5(2), Art. 11(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Article 35 of the Penal Code (刑法), a separate Act, applies to justifiable collective bargaining and other acts a union does for the aims of this Act; violence is never a justifiable act of a union. An employer cannot claim damages from a union or its members for loss caused by a justifiable strike or other act of dispute.(Art. 1(2), Art. 8(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
An employer must not commit an unfair labor practice: dismiss or otherwise treat a worker unfavourably for being a union member, trying to join or form a union, or taking part in its justifiable acts, or make staying out of or leaving a union a condition of employment; refuse without good reason to bargain collectively with the representatives of its workers; or control or interfere with the forming or running of a union, or give financial help with its running costs. Nor may it dismiss or otherwise treat a worker unfavourably for filing a complaint with a Labour Relations Commission or asking the Central Labour Relations Commission for review, or for giving evidence or speaking when a Commission investigates or hears such a complaint, recommends a settlement, or adjusts a labor dispute under the Labor Relations Adjustment Act (労働関係調整法), a separate Act.(Art. 7(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
A collective agreement between a union and an employer or employers' organization takes effect only when put in writing and signed, or name-sealed, by both parties. It cannot run for more than three years, and one set for longer is treated as set for three; one with no set term can be ended by either party with signed written notice given at least 90 days ahead, and so can one whose fixed term has passed if it says it continues after that term without a deadline. Any part of a worker's labor contract that breaks the agreement's standards on working conditions and treatment is void and replaced by those standards, which also fill anything the contract leaves out.(Art. 14(1), Art. 15(1), Art. 15(2), Art. 15(3), Art. 15(4), Art. 16(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Once three-quarters or more of the workers of the same kind regularly employed at one factory or workplace come under a collective agreement, it applies to the other workers of that kind there as well. Where a large majority of the workers of the same kind in an area come under one agreement, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the prefectural governor may, at the request of one or both parties and on a resolution of the Labour Relations Commission, decide by public notice that the other workers of that kind in the area and their employers are bound by it too; the Commission may amend parts it finds unsuitable.(Art. 17(1), Art. 18(1), Art. 18(2), Art. 18(3)) (the provisions it rests on)

Article 1 states the law's own purpose

What a labor union isQualifying before a Labour Relations CommissionStrikes and immunity from damagesUnfair labor practicesComplaint to a Labour Relations CommissionOrder for reliefCollective agreementsExtending an agreement to other workers

91 314 67 43 41

Amendments

A Japanese law is changed by another law or order that rewrites it — an . This law has 2 amendments on the way — , but . Its amendment history is below. The amendments this site has read the changes of are on this law's amendments page, provision by provision, in Japanese and English.

By 13 June 2028

at the latest, in 2 years

Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts to Promote the Use of Information and Communications Technology in Civil Procedures, etc.

民事関係手続等における情報通信技術の活用等の推進を図るための関係法律の整備に関する法律

The whole text as it will read, on e-Gov

On a day set by , no later than 13 June 2028 — the amending law allows up to five years from . The exact day is not fixed yet.

Date not yet set

Not yet in force

Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Civil Code, etc.

民法等の一部を改正する法律の施行に伴う関係法律の整備等に関する法律

The whole text as it will read, on e-Gov

The date on which the Act Partially Amending the Civil Code, etc. (Act No. 45 of 2026) comes into force. The exact day is not fixed yet.

See what it changes (3 provisions)

6 amendments already in force

24 June 2026
The text on this site
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Civil Code, etc.
民法等の一部を改正する法律の施行に伴う関係法律の整備等に関する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
1 October 2025
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts to Promote the Use of Information and Communications Technology in Civil Procedures, etc.
民事関係手続等における情報通信技術の活用等の推進を図るための関係法律の整備に関する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
1 June 2025
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Penal Code, etc.
刑法等の一部を改正する法律の施行に伴う関係法律の整理等に関する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
14 June 2023
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts to Promote the Use of Information and Communications Technology in Civil Procedures, etc.
民事関係手続等における情報通信技術の活用等の推進を図るための関係法律の整備に関する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
17 June 2022
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Penal Code, etc.
刑法等の一部を改正する法律の施行に伴う関係法律の整理等に関する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
1 April 2016
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Administrative Complaint Review Act
行政不服審査法の施行に伴う関係法律の整備等に関する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

Who it applies to

It applies to

Workers — anyone who lives on wages, a salary or similar income, whatever the occupation — and the labor unions they form.(Art. 3(1), Art. 2(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Employers, who must not commit unfair labor practices, and employers and employers' organizations that bargain with unions and sign collective agreements.(Art. 7(1), Art. 6(1), Art. 14(1)) (the provisions it rests on)

2 more

Workers of the same kind at a workplace, or in an area, who are not parties to a collective agreement but are brought under it by Article 17 or by a decision under Article 18, and in the second case their employers.(Art. 17(1), Art. 18(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Labor unions themselves: a special welfare fund may be used for another purpose only on a general meeting's resolution, and a union dissolves on a cause its rules set or on a resolution of a general meeting passed by three-quarters or more of its members or member organizations.(Art. 9(1), Art. 10(1)) (the provisions it rests on)

Special rules and exceptions (3)

Where a union represents a majority of the workers employed at a factory or workplace, the employer may sign a collective agreement making membership of that union a condition of employment.(Art. 7(1)(i)) (the provisions it rests on)
Some employer support is not the forbidden financial help with a union's running costs and does not stop it being a union: letting workers consult or negotiate with the employer during working hours without losing time or pay, contributing to welfare or other funds actually used for welfare payments (厚生資金) or to prevent or relieve economic misfortune or disaster, and providing an office of minimum size.(Art. 2(1)(ii), Art. 7(1)(iii)) (the provisions it rests on)
Cases about the labor relations of employees of administrative execution agencies (行政執行法人職員), as a separate Act defines them, belong to the Central Labour Relations Commission alone; for a Commission's decisions on whether their unions qualify or can be certified, only those a Cabinet Order (政令) names. The Central Commission also takes precedence in cases spanning two or more prefectures or of national importance.(Art. 25(1), Art. 19-3(2)) (the provisions it rests on)

How it is enforced (10)

Labour Relations Commissions — the Central Labour Relations Commission and a Prefectural Labour Relations Commission under each prefectural governor, each made up of equal numbers of members for employers, for workers and for the public interest — examine unfair labor practice cases. On a complaint that an employer has broken Article 7, the Commission must investigate without delay and, where needed, hold a hearing at which both sides can submit evidence and cross-examine witnesses. It cannot accept a complaint made more than one year after the act, or after the end of a continuing act.(Art. 19(1), Art. 19(2), Art. 19-12(1), Art. 20(1), Art. 27(1), Art. 27(2)) (the provisions it rests on)
At a hearing the Commission can order a party or witness to appear and testify, as far as needed to find the facts, and at an investigation or hearing it can order the holder of books, documents or other items without which the facts would be hard to find to produce them, weighing personal and business secrets; a witness testifies under oath. A person ordered by a Prefectural Commission to appear or produce may ask the Central Commission to review the order within one week of receiving it, with written reasons, and one ordered by the Central Commission may object to it within one week; where a natural disaster or other unavoidable reason prevented this, the week runs from the day after the reason ends.(Art. 27-7(1), Art. 27-7(2), Art. 27-8(1), Art. 27-10(1), Art. 27-10(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
Refusing without good reason to appear, testify, produce or take the oath is punishable by a civil fine (過料) of up to 300,000 yen; a sworn witness who lies faces imprisonment (拘禁刑) of three months to ten years, and a sworn party who lies a civil fine of up to 300,000 yen. Obstructing a hearing in breach of the Commission's order to keep order is punishable by a civil fine of up to 100,000 yen. A party who ignored an order to produce an item cannot later offer it in court to prove the facts it was meant to prove, unless there was good reason.(Art. 32-2(1), Art. 28-2(1), Art. 32-3(1), Art. 32-4(1), Art. 27-21(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
When the case is ready, the Commission finds the facts and issues a written order granting all or part of the relief asked for, or dismissing the complaint (an order for relief, 救済命令等); it takes effect on the day it is delivered. At any point the Commission may urge the parties to settle; where they settle before the order becomes final, both apply, and the Commission finds the settlement suitable for keeping or establishing normal labor relations, the case ends and any order already issued lapses. Where such a settlement includes paying a sum of money, the Commission may, on both parties' application, record it in a settlement record (和解調書) that can be enforced by compulsory execution (強制執行) as a title of obligation (債務名義) under the Civil Execution Act (民事執行法), a separate Act.(Art. 27-12(1), Art. 27-12(3), Art. 27-12(4), Art. 27-14(1), Art. 27-14(2), Art. 27-14(3), Art. 27-14(4), Art. 27-14(5)) (the provisions it rests on)
An employer, union or worker may ask the Central Labour Relations Commission to review a Prefectural Commission's order within 15 days of receiving it, or, where a natural disaster or other unavoidable reason prevented this, within one week from the day after the reason ends; asking does not suspend the order, which lapses if the Central Commission revokes or changes it on review. The Central Commission can revoke, approve or change the order, or dismiss the request, and cannot review an order a court's final judgment has upheld.(Art. 27-15(1), Art. 27-15(2), Art. 25(2), Art. 27-16(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
An employer may sue in court to have an order rescinded within 30 days of its delivery, a period that cannot be extended; if it does not, the order becomes final. An employer, union or worker that asked the Central Commission for review may sue only over the Central Commission's order; a union or worker otherwise sues as the Administrative Case Litigation Act (行政事件訴訟法), a separate Act, provides. No administrative appeal (審査請求) lies against a Commission's decisions.(Art. 27-19(1), Art. 27-19(2), Art. 27-19(3), Art. 27-13(1), Art. 27-26(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
While an employer's suit is pending, the court may, on the Commission's request, order the employer to comply with all or part of the order until the judgment becomes final (an emergency order, 緊急命令). An employer who breaks that court order, or an order that has become final because it was not challenged, faces a civil fine (過料) of up to 500,000 yen; where the order requires an act and it goes unperformed for more than five days, the maximum rises by 100,000 yen for each day beyond five. If an employer does not follow a final order, the Commission must tell the district court for the employer's address, and the union or workers may too.(Art. 27-20(1), Art. 32(1), Art. 27-13(2)) (the provisions it rests on)
Where a court's final judgment has upheld all or part of an order for relief and the order is then broken, the person who broke it faces imprisonment (拘禁刑) of up to one year, a fine of up to one million yen, or both.(Art. 28(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Where needed for its work, a Commission may require employers, employers' organizations, unions and others concerned to appear, report or hand over books and documents, and may send its members or staff to inspect a workplace. Failing to report, reporting falsely, failing to appear or hand over documents, or refusing or obstructing an inspection is punishable by a fine of up to 300,000 yen; where a representative, agent or employee did it in connection with the business of a company or individual, that company or individual is fined as well.(Art. 22(1), Art. 30(1), Art. 31(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
The liquidator of a union that is a corporation faces a civil fine (過料) of up to 500,000 yen for failing to register, failing to give or improperly giving the required public notices, failing to file for bankruptcy when required, or making false statements to an authority or the general meeting or hiding facts. The same applies to a union's representative who fails to register changes in the registered matters a Cabinet Order (政令) sets.(Art. 33(1), Art. 33(2)) (the provisions it rests on)

How it connects to other laws

Cites this lawLawThis law cites it

It also names 9 laws not yet held here.

Where the translation comes from

The Ministry of Justice's translation is shown only where the Japanese it translates matches the law in force today. Everywhere else the English is a machine translation, marked on the paragraph itself.

Only the Japanese is the law, and no lawyer has reviewed the machine translation.

Sources

Everything this page rests on

e-Gov (Digital Agency)労働組合法 — the text in force from 2026-06-24Original
e-Gov (Digital Agency)労働組合法 — revision historyOriginal
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of JusticeLabor Union Act — Ministry of Justice translationOriginal
Machine translation, not official
Written for this site with AIEnglish titles of amending laws, written for this site
Written for this site with AIDescriptions of each law, written for this site
Worked out by this site from e-Gov's text

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