61673 According to some news reports, the formulation of a new declaration to supplement the security treaty has begun.
61674 To what extent the prime minister consciously made that statement is anyone's guess.
61675 However, this is a question that has bearings on the fundamental character of Japan.
61676 This cannot be the "creative partnership" that the prime minister talks about, or can it?
61677 Preliminary horse-trading for the spring labor offensive negotiations has kicked off.
61678 The Japan Federation of Employers' Associations (Nikkeiren) held an extraordinary general meeting on the 12th.
61679 During that meeting, they confirmed the agenda for the spring wage negotiations.
61680 On that day, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) also convened the extended Central Struggle Committee and fixed the "peak" of the spring offensive, when individual unions will receive management responses concerning wage hikes.
61681 Since the current recession began, management has kept labor under its control in terms of wage hikes.
61682 Takeshi Nagano, Chairman of Nikkeiren, the management's designated headquarters for labor policies and strategy planning, has already launched the "zero-increase" policy.
61683 He had successfully kept a tight rein on labor for the past three years with the same slogan.
61684 To turn the Japanese economy around, Nikkeiren emphasizes that no wage increase must be offered for the time being.
61685 At the same time, the report, titled "Revitalization of the Japanese Economy and Challenges for Employers, Labor and Management" presented by the Nikkeiren's labor issue study committee at the general meeting states as follows.
61686 "Wage determination commensurate with productivity and solvency," "Look at employment, work hours and wage together as a whole," and "Maintain and improve the real wage by reduction of prices."
61687 Breaking the "follow-the-herd" wage increase formula of the spring labor offensive is the message at the core of the report.