Japan by the Japanese/Chapter 21.3

​

III. Factory Legislation

By Mr. K. Soyeda
(President of the Industrial Bank of Japan)

The condition of labourers is to be pitied by an impartial observer, when compared with those of England. Nothing like Trade Unions exist, and the workmen are quite unguarded and unorganized. On investigation we find that the workers in factories, which include 154,857 men and 248,617 women, according to official calculations for 1900, are poorly fed and overworked. The necessity of doing something in the way of ameliorating their condition is apparent. There is a probability of a Bill being introduced in Parliament by the Government in the future, the outline being somewhat as follows below. It may be far from being satisfactory, but, viewed in the light that something is better than nothing, even this law is to be welcomed.

This Act shall be applied to factories employing thirty or more hands. With respect to factories which are established ​temporarily, or in which the hands, being ordinarily less than the above stipulated number, are increased temporarily, a special enactment shall be made. The whole or a part of this Act shall be applied to factories other than mentioned above, by Ordinance, whenever necessity arises.

When a factory is to be established, re-erected, or extended, permission of the competent public authority is necessary, and it cannot be used before permission is so obtained.

Necessary measures shall be taken against danger or injury to the health of employés, and nothing shall be allowed which is against the public morality and public interest.

The provisions relating to the regulation of boarding-houses, annexed buildings, etc., shall be enacted by Ordinance.

Engines cannot be used unless approved by the competent authority.

Engines without an official certificate cannot be used.

Persons under the age of eleven years shall not be employed; but this limitation shall be relaxed for the first ten years in the following way. Persons of eight years or more may be employed within two years from the coming into force of this Act, and those of nine years or more for three years, and those of ten years or more for five years from that time.

Persons under sixteen years, or women of sixteen years or more, shall not be employed between ten o’clock p.m. and four o’clock a.m. except in the following cases:

  1. In case of a special circumstance, this limitation may be relaxed by Ordinance for some interval.
  2. For factories of special character and for cases of urgency exceptional provisions may be enacted by Ordinance.
  3. In case of an alternative employment of two or more parties, exceptional provisions may be enacted by Ordinance.

For persons under sixteen years, or women of sixteen years or more, limitation shall be made by Ordinance for their employment for upwards of twelve hours.

A provision relating to meal and rest hours not exceeding one hour and a half for persons under sixteen years and women of sixteen years or more shall be enacted by Ordinance.

So far as persons under sixteen and women of sixteen years or more are concerned, holidays of at least two days per month shall be allowed.

Persons under sixteen years and women of sixteen years or more shall not be employed in works involving bodily danger or injury to health.

​For those who are wounded or who die while working in factories the employer must pay:

  1. The expense incurred by the medical operation and the nursing.
  2. Half the wages at least when the condition of the sufferer requires rest for more than five days.
  3. The wages for at least two years (250 yen as maximum) when the employé is accidentally disabled for life.
  4. The funeral expenses of 20 yen as maximum when accident causes death.
  5. An amount equivalent to wages for a year and a half, but not more than 200 yen, to the surviving family, if there be any.

When employés in boarding-houses are injured or become ill, the employer must look after them at least for three months. In case they die, funeral expenses must be borne by the employer.

Factories are under the control of the Prefects, and under the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce.

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.