Page:Sanzō Nosaka - A Brief Review of the Labour Movement in Japan (1921).pdf/25

 phical situation, and consequently are under the absolute monarchy of the mine-owner. All things in mining district from the food to the police force, are entirely at the will of the modern King. Therefore, the miners' fight is always far more fierce than other workers, abounding in revolutionary colour. For instance, at the strike of Kamaishi, strikers were enveloped by a considerable number of police-men, gendarms, and at last two companies of military forces, with arrests of 37 leaders. A similar fate was on the fighters of Ashio and Hidachi; in the former case 23 and in the latter 17 were arrested. Three disputes fell almost at once in a rout of the miners.

In such an oppressive and ominous atmosphere the historic yeayear [sic] 1919 closed.

Under such a state of conditions, the mushroom growth of Trade Unions which had prevailed in the preyious year suddenly came to a standstill in 1920. As far as new Unions are concerned, only a few are of importance. A teachers' Union, „The Keimei-kai“, ;ed by socialists, came into existence in Tokyo. January, and in the next few months several seamen's organisations were formed in all important ports, as a result of troubles occured from the election of Labour Delegate et the International Labour Conference at Genoa, which has been always playing a cynical part in the Japanese labour movement, arousing hostility against itself and awakening the combination spirit of workers.

It is interesting to trace the changing demands of the workers. Up to the summer of 1919, almost all labour disputes originatad from the demand for increased wages or improvement of working conditions. But after the printers' general strike of July, the eight hours day began to be claimed, Especially the acquisition of eight hours by the great sabotage of Kobe on September incited this movement.

In the year 1920 another new demand was put foward, that is, the election of foremen in the workshop by the workers themselves, by which measure they meant, the first step to the control of industry by themselves. For this purpose the Yuai-kai challenged the Sonoike Metal Works, Tokyo, January. Met by a lock-out, it fought for three weeks