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ILO and Japan (in Japanese) |
I would like to congratulate the 50th Anniversary of reopening of the ILO Office in Japan and would like to say a few words to open the Symposium.
Our country was one of the founding members of the ILO when it was founded in 1919. Four years later in 1923, the ILO Tokyo Branch Office was established. Since then, Japan had actively promoted ILO activities. However, in the early Showa period, Japan deepened its international isolationism and finally withdrew from the Leagues of Nations, and subsequently left the International Labour Organization, resulting in the closure of the ILO Tokyo Branch Office in 1939.
However, after the World War II, Japan rejoined the ILO in 1951 and the ILO Tokyo Branch Office was reopened in 1955. This reveals a part of the process of Japan's return to the international community in the course of its postwar rehabilitation. I can only imagine how much emotion was felt at that time by those who worked for the reopening of the ILO office. Subsequently, in 2003, the Tokyo Branch Office was reorganized as an office directly reporting to the Director General, and has increased its weight.
For fifty long years since the reopening, the ILO Tokyo Branch Office and the current ILO Office in Japan has been supported by many individuals. I would like to express my appreciation for their efforts.
I understand that today's symposium will focus on the changes in the world of work and the modern significance of the ILO. For the past few years, the ILO has worked under the banner of "Decent Work for All" or human work, and has taken many initiatives around the world in order to promote this concept. This symposium would provide us some insight into what the ILO can do and what Japan can do as a member state to make Decent Work a global reality.
Widening social gap accompanying rapid globalization, destitution of the people suffering from tsunami or other intense natural disasters, destruction of livelihood due to regional armed conflicts, etc., are forcing people to live an unstable life, even if we are already in the 21 century. In this context, under the idea of achieving social justice, the ILO takes initiatives to protect individuals from the threats on livelihoods or dignity by improving employment and working conditions. This is directly relevant to the theme in the first part of today's symposium, "human security."
In the second part of the symposium, the following theme will be addressed. With the progressive economic globalization, forms of work have also changed. In this context, how will the fruits of such changes be shared by all in the world, and what kind of role can the ILO play? I am convinced that the symposium will provide a good opportunity for all the participants to think about the role of the ILO and its future direction.
We, the government of Japan, will continue to support ILO activities through financial and personnel contribution and through proactive ratification and promotion of the ILO Conventions.
Finally I would like to say that it is my sincere wish that this symposium will be fruitful towards the promotion of Decent Work for all, and that the ILO Office in Japan which marked a turning point of its 50th anniversary will become an ever more active player.