We welcome our brothers and sisters from UNI Apro G&P/MEI to Japan
Japanese affiliates – UNI G&PAll Printing Bureau Labour Union (ZENINSATSU)
Abbreviation
Foundation dateFounding members
President
Current membership

PLU
1st April 1947
8,000 members
Mr. Takashi Umehara
5,082 members（as of 1st April 2017）

Other organizations we closely work and share information withThe Graphical Sector of The Japanese Federation of Textile, Chemical, Food, Commercial, Service andGeneral Workers’ Unions (UA ZENSEN)

Dai Nippon Printing Workers’ Union (DNPWU)

All Mint Bureau Workers’ Union (ZENZOHEI)

Main Principles


To establish autonomy for trade unions, unite all G&P workers, improve working conditions and social status
and expand rights for members while building a strong collaborative relationship.
To build a labor-management relationship that focuses on ensuring fundamental rights for workers, facilitating
future growth in the printing bureau business and is based on solid equality.
To create a culture for workers in which labor and human rights are highly respected.
To pursue permanent peace and global solidarity by collaborating with all citizens with a common belief basedon liberty, togetherness and democracy.

To collaborate with other industries in order to establish a high living and political status for all workers, andunite a democratic labor front.
To promote participation and unity among all democratic industrial federations around the world with an aim toestablish world peace.

Japanese affiliates - UNI MEIJapan Broadcasting Labour Union (NHK Worker’s Union)(NIPPORO)

Federation of Printing Information Media Workers Unions(INSATSU ROREN)
Abbreviation
Foundation dateFounding members
President
Current membership

PIMW
25th August 1989
46 organizations, 20,785 members
Mr. Masashi Takura
42 organizations
21,461 members（as of April 2017）

Main Principles
To uphold pride and responsibility for all PIMW workers and to pursue happiness by improving the worker’s
economical, social and political status.
To maintain/improve working conditions
To facilitate democratic growth in the industry
To strengthen the labor front for all PIMW workers
To realize a welfare nation
To form solidarity with an aim to create peace worldwide

Japan Federation of Newspaper Worker’s Unions (SHIMBUN ROREN)
Foundation dateFounding members
President
Current membership

30th June 1950
14 organizations, 10,800 members
Mr. Motohide Kobayashi
86 organizations
20,585 members（out of which 1,500 are newspaper workers）

Main PrinciplesTo secure the three rights of work through building a spirit of unity among all newspaper unions and to fight fora better life and a higher political and social status.
To protect the freedom of speech, to conclude democratic revolution, to respect Japanese culture and to rebuild
the nation as a free and independent country, with the recognition that these are all newspaper’s social mission.
To respect democracy and autonomy for our affiliate’s activities by rejecting oppression or interference frompolitical parties, government and capitalists.
To fight against unjust competition among newspaper companies which leads to exploitation of newspaper
workers. To support the liberty and fairness in newspaper reporting activities, irrespective of their region orscale and to secure all worker’s fundamental rights.

Foundation dateFounding members
President
Current membership

2nd March 1948
5,000 members
Mr. Masatoshi Nakamura
7,058 members（as of 25th July 2017）

Main PrinciplesTo uphold democratic trade unionism and reject oppresion or intervension from other parties.
To secure fundamental human rights and to impove social and economical status for workers.
To fight against other forces which try to misappropriately rule broadcasting.
To promote broadcasting and its culture to realize a democratic society.
To build world peace through global solidarity and mutual trust.

Japan Federation of Commercial Broadcast Workers' Unions(MINPOROREN)
Foundation dateFounding members
President
Current membership

12th July 1953
9 organizations, 1,650 members
Mr. Ohoro Akatsuka
8,303 members

Main Principles

To build strong cooperation between commercial broadcast trade unions with the aim to improve worker’s lives,push up their political and social status and ensure their fundamental rights.
To protect freedom of speech and expression as commercial broadcast’s social mission in order to contributeto enhance Japanese culture and establish true democracy nationwide.
To eliminate any kind of intrusion exercized over trade unions by political parties or governmental capitalists.
To respect our affiliate’s autonomy and follow the will of all of our union members to facilitate democracy in ouroperations.
To oppose to exploitation of our workers triggered by unfair competition between commercial broadcasting
companies. To support freedom and justice in both central and regional commercial braodcasting, and also
secure fundamental rights for our workers by respecting their missions and individual personalities.
To collaborate with workers from other industries to improve their lives and political status and work towards
establishing a unified and democratic labour front.
To create alliances with democratic trade unions around the world and devote ourselves to creating world peace
through our activities.

Fukushima – Land of Japan’s real spirit!
Introduction
Fukushima prefecture lies about 200 km northeast of Tokyo. Hosting a population of 1.9 million people, it
is considered the 3rd largest in land area among all of the 47 prefectures of Japan. The prefecture'scentral city, also only known as Fukushima, holds 290 thousand residents. I am happy that it is the citywhere we are holding the UNI Apro MEI Conference and the UNI Apro Graphical and Packaging
Conference on 11 – 13 September 2017.
CharacteristicsOn the way towards Fukushima from Tokyo,
you will be treated to an eye feast with thedramatic change of scenery where vast
open plains in the horizon give way tostriking lofty peaks. The Fukushima
prefecture is a mountainous region which
creates a very impressionable and severe
landscape, especially during winter when
the area is covered with thick snow.
Contrary to the intensely cold climate, thepeople are warm and friendly and possesshigh agricultural skills. Many Japanese
agricultural products are produced in Fukushima. The prefecture is renowned for its wide variety of famousJapanese sake made from locally grown rice nourished by the region’s abundant natural water and fertile
soil.
CultureThe Tohoku region is located in the northern lands further across
Fukushima, and has historically been referred to as “MICHINO OKU, theplace far beyond the road”. Compared to Kyoto or Tokyo, where theculture developed at an early stage, Fukushima has nurtured an entirely
different
uniqueandmysticalculture
byharmonizing itself with theregion’s beautiful nature. Itwas this very landscapethat inspired the 17thcentury haiku genius, Basho Matsuo, to refine the form of
haiku - a form of Japanese poetry that expresses thesurrounding world in 17 syllables. In many of Basho's haiku,
we can feel the beauty,magnificence, sereneness ofnature, and most of all, itstranquility. I believe that thisreflects
therealoriginal
Japanese spirit that is embedded in the Tohoku culture.

More recently, as we all know, a violent earthquake shook
the whole Tohoku area including Fukushima. The
magnitude of this earthquake was something that Japan
has never experienced in the last thousand years. Theearthquake created an enormous tsunami which destroyed
the coastline and took the lives of 20,000 people. It also
damaged severely a nuclear power plant that provided
electricity to Tokyo. We still remember the terrifying imagesof explosions throwing up radioactive substances into theair. The whole nation was struck by terror and anxiety atthat time.
Six years have passed since that shocking incident, andthe city is gradually recovering. Areas which were damaged by the tsunami are being reconstructed withnew roads, harbors and residences. My wish is that you will all have an opportunity to visit the disaster
stricken areas on this occasion, and support and encourage the local
Fukushima residents, who are still struggling to bring back theirhomes and communities together.
The Great East Japan Earthquake
On 11 March 2011 at 2:46 pm, an earthquake with a magnitude 9.0
originated in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Tohoku region andstruck eastern Japan. It was the most powerful earthquake everrecorded in Japan. The area was also hit by the biggest quakegenerated tsunami ever witnessed in history. Waves peaked at 30
meters at the highest point when they hit the land. The toll ofcasualties and missing were as many as 18,446 according to thepolice report in March 2017. Many areas stretching from Northeast Japan to Southeast Japan wereaffected by the tsunami which even reached Hokkaido and the Kanto region. Three prefectures, Iwate,Miyagi and Fukushima, were affected severely, with approximately 15,000 victims. Even today, 120,000
citizens still live in temporary shelters.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) No.1 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident
In Fukushima, two nuclear power plants and ten nuclear reactors generated and provided electricity tothe whole Kanto region. The reactor automatically stopped its operations right after it was hit by theearthquake on 11 March 2011. However, the No.1 Fukushima Nuclear power plant was stricken by a ten
meter-Tsunami which rendered the emergency source of energy inoperative and broke the pumping
function which was responsible for cooling down nuclear fuel. The temperature of the fuel rose
uncontrollably leading to an eventual nuclear meltdown. Finally, on 15 March, the plant exploded.
After this tragic incident, the water cooler system was reconstructed to stabilize the situation. Scientificreadings of the current radio-density have settled down to the level that causes no adverse impact tohumans unless you stand right beside the power plant, but still, there aresome groups that question the environmental security which remains asource of tension with the government and the power company.

History
Historically, Tohoku was constantly invaded by troops from Kyoto and Tokyo
from as far back as the 8th century until the 11th century. Peace prevailed by
the 12th century with glorious golden temples and shrines dotting the land in
the region. However, when Japan experienced a revolutionary transition
towards modernization in the 19th century, the old powers fought and lost insome of the fiercest battles ever to take place in Fukushima. We can see
through history that Fukushima has geographically served as a battlefield
experiencing losses and hardship.

Masatoshi Nakamura
President of UNI Apro MEI