The purpose of this Act are, in conjunction with the Labor Union Act, to promote the fair adjustment of labor relations and to prevent or settle labor disputes and thereby contribute to the maintenance of industrial peace and economic development.

The parties involved in labor relations must make special efforts mutually to promote proper and fair labor relations, to prescribe in labor agreement matters concerning the establishment and operation of regularized organs in order to promote the constant adjustment of labor relations at all times, and, in the event labor disputes have occurred, to settle them voluntarily in good faith.

The Government must endeavor to assist the parties involved in labor relations in achieving a voluntary adjustment of the differences in their claims concerning labor relations in order thereby to prevent the occurrence of acts of dispute as much as possible.

No provision in this Act is to be construed either to preclude the parties from prescribing working conditions and other matters regarding labor relations, or from adjusting differences in their claims concerning labor relations through direct consultations or collective bargaining, or to waiver the parties involved in labor relations of their responsibility for making such efforts.

In effecting any adjustment of labor relations under this Act, the parties, the Labour Relations Commissions, and other organs concerned must as much as possible utilize appropriate means to expedite the disposal of the case.

In this Act, a labor dispute means a disagreement over claims regarding labor relations arising between the parties involved in labor relations resulting in either the occurrence of acts of dispute or the risk of such occurrence.

In this Act, an act of dispute means a strike, a slowdown, a lock-out or other acts or counteracts performed by the parties involved in labor relations for the purpose of attaining their respective claims, which hamper normal business operations.

①In this Act, public welfare business means the following businesses, which provide services essential to the daily life of the general public:

②With the approval of the Diet, in addition to the businesses set forth in the preceding paragraph, the Prime Minister may designate as a public welfare business any business the stoppage of which will seriously affect the national economy or seriously endanger the daily life of the general public, limited to a period of not more than one year.

③Upon the designation of a public welfare business pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the Prime Minister must without delay publicize to that effect by appropriate means such as newspapers and the radio, in addition to giving notice in the Official Gazette.

①Special members for adjustment may be established in the Central Labour Relations Commission by the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare and in Prefectural Labour Relations Commissions by the prefectural governor in order to have them participate in conciliation or arbitration of labor disputes carried out by the Labour Relations Commissions.

②The special members for adjustment established in the Central Labour Relations Commission are appointed by the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare and the special members for adjustment in the Prefectural Labour Relations Commissions by the prefectural governor.

③The special members for adjustment are persons representing the employers, persons representing the workers, and persons representing the public interest.

④Of the special members for adjustment, those representing the employers are to be appointed based upon the recommendation of the employers' organizations, those representing the workers are to be appointed based upon the recommendation of the labor unions, and those representing the public interest are to be appointed with the consent of both the members of the Labour Relations Commission concerned that represent employers (excluding the employer members responsible for agencies engaged in administrative execution, as provided for in Article 25 of the Act on Labor Relations of Agency Engaged in Administrative Execution (Act No. 257 of 1948) (referred to in the following Article as "the employer members responsible for agencies engaged in administrative execution")), and the members of the Labour Relations Commission concerned that represent the workers (excluding the labor members responsible for agencies engaged in administrative execution, as provided for in Article 25 of the above mentioned Act (referred to in the following Article as "the labor members responsible for agencies engaged in administrative execution")).

⑤The special members for adjustment may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in performing their duties, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

⑥Matters concerning the special members for adjustment beyond what is provided in this Act are prescribed by Cabinet Order.

In the case that the Central Labour Relations Commission performs the functions of appointment of candidates for mediators and preparation of a list thereof, as provided for in Article 10; giving the consent of the Labour Relations Commission as provided for in the proviso to Article 12, paragraph (1); agreeing on a resolution of the Labour Relations Commission as provided for in Article 18, item (iv); and other functions prescribed by Cabinet Order, only those members representing the employers other than the employer members responsible for agencies engaged in administrative execution (such members being referred to as "the employer members responsible for general enterprises" in Article 21, paragraph (1)), those members representing the workers other than the labor members responsible for agencies engaged in administrative execution (such members being referred to as "the labor members responsible for general enterprises" in Article 21, paragraph (1)), and ten members representing the public interest nominated in advance by the chairperson, together with the chairperson (referred to as "the public members responsible for general enterprises" in Article 21, paragraph (1) and in Article 31-2) participate in the performance of those functions. In these cases, matters necessary for the performance of the functions of the Central Labour Relations Commission are prescribed by Cabinet Order.

When acts of dispute have occurred, the parties concerned must immediately report to that effect to the Labour Relations Commission or the prefectural governor.