RENGO endorsed a plan to achieve its Policy and Institution-related demands for the coming 147th Ordinary Session of the Diet. The plan includes nine priority policy and institution-related demands that cover such issues as the enforcing of job creation measures within the new fiscal year budget and so forth.

	(1)		Demand radical enforcement of job creation measures in the 2000 fiscal year budget
			¥28.9 billion was earmarked for the general account and ¥692.6 billion for the special account as employment countermeasures for the government's new fiscal year budget plan. However, that plan did not include anything that even approached the scale of the Million-Job Creation Project. Rather, it only provided wage support for employment in the nursing care field (¥6.7 billion), support for the Educational Training Project in the "21st Century Plan to Establish our State on Efficient Talent" (¥8.3 billion), and so forth. RENGO will ask that each political party meet RENGO's demands to a) bring about new projects through government and local government for the creation of more than 1.4 million jobs and b) to clarify precisely how many jobs were created by public projects

	(2)		Drastically revise the government's retrogressive pension system bill into a safe and reliable one.
			In order to prevent passage of the government's retrogressive bill in the House of Councilors, RENGO will check on the "initial disposition" of the bill by collaborating with the Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party and propose a "counter-plan" at the current ordinary Diet session. Meanwhile, RENGO will cooperate with constituent organizations and local RENGO as a single unified body to bring about its counter-plan while at the same time working to garner public support. Further, this 'counter-plan' will be drawn up in January and based on RENGO's four principles and correlated with each of the parties. Moreover, we are opposed to the government's bill for the Defined Contribution Plan (a 401K-like system) which contains many problems regarding rights of receivership.

	(3)		Demand radical enforcement of job creation measures in the 2000 fiscal year budget.
			RENGO opposes revising laws that would raise medical treatment reimbursement fees and individual patient defrayment costs. Instead, RENGO is seeking massive medical system reform in the 2000 fiscal year that includes medical treatment reimbursement fees, drug tariffs, health services for the elderly, and medical care services. And to reduce health care contribution costs for the elderly, RENGO is also demanding a large increase in the government's liability for welfare for the elderly over its current 30%.

	(4)		Seek legislation of the Worker's Protection Law in business structure reorganization, and the establishment of workers' rights in the revision of the Commercial Law Act.
			RENGO will let the Democratic Party take the lead while lobbying for the passage of the "Worker Protection Against Changes in Business Organization Law (tentative)" at the current Diet session. This law guarantees that employment contracts and labor agreements will be maintained during any and all business transfers, divisions, etc. RENGO will seek to combine the "Worker Protection Law, " which is currently being studied by the Labor Ministry, with a RENGO proposed bill. The plan to revise the Commercial Law for business divisions should make sure that the law clarifies all regulations relating to business divisions and provides for advance discussions with labor unions and others.

	(5)		Seek revision of the Employment Insurance and Workmen's Compensation Laws.
			The Labor Ministry's Central Labor Employment Safety Council compiled a plan to revise the Employment Insurance Law, which RENGO has found to be insufficient. The plan concludes that *reductions in insurance provision days, *increases in insurance premium rates to 12/1000, and * treatment of the retired etc., should be regarded as personal reasons. One the other hand, under the current severe circumstances of high unemployment and prolonged unemployment, the council is improving the (1) extension of the vocational training provisions in the Employment Insurance Law and (2) enrichment of educational training provisions. It is also proposing measures to stabilize senior employment while taking their legislation into consideration. Although the council's plan is insufficient in several areas, in view of the above, RENGO recognizes that it will maintain sound conditions for the Employment Insurance System. Therefore, RENGO will seek flexible financial aid from the government to support employment continuation measures for the elderly and the financial stabilization of the employment insurance system, while at the same time considering issues such as revising how the retired are treated and extending the eligibility age to receive public pensions. With regard to the revision of the Workmen's Accident Compensation Insurance Law, RENGO will realize a provision system that supports good health maintenance for people with mental and cerebral afflictions, which may cause death from overwork when coupled with work-related stress or a workload that is too heavy.

	(6)		Promote legislation to establish fair business for small to mid-sized companies.
			In an attempt to improve unfair business transactions against small to mid-sized affiliated companies, RENGO will seek the following items:  a)    Strict application of the Anti-Monopoly Law to keep large firms from abusing their advantage.  b)    The introduction of penalties for violating the Subcontracting Payments Deferment Preventing Law.  c)    Drastic revisions such as widening the scope of applications.  d)    The expansion and legislation of subcontract promotion standards. RENGO will radically strengthen the Fair Trade Commission to guarantee the setting of fair rates for orders and stop unfair business transactions.

	(7)		Legislate the Circulatory Economy/Waste Law (tentative) to curb dumping and promote recycling, re-use.
			The Government is pursuing a study of the Basic Law for a Circulatory Society on the one hand. Yet on the other, the Liberal Democratic, Liberal, and New Komeito Parties are drawing up the Establishment of a Circulatory Society Promotion Law (tentative) with the New Komeito Party in the lead, and are actively pushing for its passage in the current Diet session. RENGO will compile the Circulatory Economy/Waste Law based on RENGO environmental guidelines which clearly marks a shift to a resource-based recycling system. At the same time, RENGO will also seek to enact the bill by asking for support from the Democratic and other parties. Working closely with economic and consumer organizations, RENGO will put its efforts into building public support and a national consensus to enact this bill.

	(8)		Bring about the Consumer Contract Act, Labor-Management Individual Conflict Management Law, and revise the Civil Code making it possible for married couples to choose separate surnames.
			RENGO will make the"Consumer Contract Act" into law as soon as possible to prevent consumer liability from long-term contracts and variable-term insurance etc., and establish equity in business transactions between consumers and companies. This Act stipulates the exactness of contractual procedure and their content, and invalidates unfair provisions that are not in the consumers' best interests. Furthermore, RENGO will push for the enactment of the RENGO-compiled bill that deals with individual labor-management disputes. We will seek approval for revision of the Civil Code, which has been carried over to this regular Diet session, so married couples may choose separate surnames.

	(9)		Ratify and approve four ILO conventions at the current Diet session forming the Basic Labor Standard.
			Taking into the account the significance of the New Declaration (the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work) adopted at ILO International Labour Conference in 1998, RENGO will promote its request to the government and lobby for ratification and approval of the ILO conventions during this Diet session. The main conventions not yet ratified by the Japanese government are: Abolition of Forced Labour (No.105, 1957), Anti-Discrimination in Employment and Occupations (No.111, 1958), Minimum Employment Age (No.138, 1973) and Unacceptable Forms of Child Labour (No.182, 1999).