100 Stories1948 “The Great Nobeoka Dispute,” One of Japan's Tree Major Disputes

Only 270 companies in Japan have an average annual salary of more than 8 million yen per employee in the past 10 years, according to the average annual income ranking released in fiscal 2019. Asahi Kasei ranks among them.

Incidentally, the average annual salary in Japan is 4.32 million yen. While the factors that people focus on in job hunting vary from person to person, from a salary standpoint, this is a company that many people are interested in.

Wage negotiation by the labor union is a topic that is inseparable from the discussion of company wages. Although wage negotiations have become more streamlined in the modern era, in the postwar period, labor-management disputes occurred in companies all over Japan.

Asahi Kasei was no exception. In January 1946, when the Nobeoka Plant's Rayon Department launched, unions were formed in each department, and in October, the Asahi Kasei Labor Union Association (abbr: Asahi Union) was formed as a company-wide federation.

In many cases, the formation of a labor union means the start of a dispute. At a time when many people in Japan were feeling sought more security in the lives, the initially moderate Asahi Kasei Federation entered into a struggle with management.

In April 1946, a large plant with 8,000 union members entered into a production management dispute. This was a large-scale dispute unparalleled in West Japan. In the production management dispute, union members occupied the plant and decisively carried out production control on behalf of the management. The demands at that time were five times the wages and dismissal or transfer of union members must be approved by the union.

Management responded by approving some wage increases, but rejected the demands regarding dismissals and transfers on the grounds that they were the rights of management. However, the dispute resulted in the company taking 80% of the demands, as it was not in a position to negotiate. It was a complete defeat for the company. The result was so disastrous that even Kagayaki Miyazaki, the founder of Asahi Kasei, felt that the company would go under if nothing was done.

The union's demands escalated further after this victory. Then, the Great Nobeoka Dispute, one of the three biggest disputes in Japan, took place in1948.

The Great Nobeoka Dispute was attended by a staggering 14,000 workers. This was nearly double the number of employees involved in the production management dispute, which was one of the largest in West Japan. The number of employees in Nobeoka at that time was 15,000, and the fact that almost all of them took part in the dispute shows its intensity.

The total cost of the demands was 120 million yen. This amount was equivalent to the company's net sales at the time, and was far beyond what the company was able to accept. This was exactly what Miyazaki had feared would happen.

Unless the radical nature of the union is fundamentally changed, the same thing will happen again and again, and the company would eventually be forced into bankruptcy.

Miyazaki, who had been delegated full authority over the issue, was determined to take a strong stance until a resolution was reached. His decision was not mistaken, and Yoshihisa Kuroda and Hiroshi Sakurai, who had arrived in Nobeoka at Miyazaki's informal order, lent themselves to his cause. The company was able to prevail in the dispute, as the strike was called off, thanks in part to the efforts of these two men, who would later play a central role in Asahi Kasei.

It was during this time that the Rayon Access Gate Incident occurred. Employees on strike who were picketing in front of a tunnel gate at the Rayon plant clashed with employees who were on their way to work. A total of 45 people were injured, 3 seriously and 42 mildly.

This tragic incident between Asahi Kasei employees caused no small change in the minds of the striking employees. The strike rapidly waned and finally came to an end, culminating in the end of the Great Nobeoka Dispute.

Miyazaki said this after the incident:

“I believe the employees learned from this valuable experience that without labor-management cooperation, neither the company's prosperity nor the union members' livelihoods can be improved.”

Today, as Asahi Kasei is celebrating its 100th anniversary, labor disputes are no longer a common sight as employees' work styles have diversified. The current wage system and treatment are based on the history of the company and its employees, which was built up through serious conflicts between the company and its employees. It is an event that must never be repeated, but we must never forget that the current environment is the result of the hard work of our predecessors.

  • The first union picket in front of the main gate of the Rayon Department,
    which was heavily fortified (1948)