May Day isn’t really a national holiday in Japan, but it’s considered an informal day off for public sector workers. While most people view it as a day of rest, trade unions try to maximize their exposure on this day. There are three major trade unions, but the trade union with the most members is RENGO. RENGO stands for Nihon Rōdōkumiai Sōrengōkai (日本労働組合総連合会) or Japanese Trade Union Confederation. It’s estimated that there are around 6 million members involved with RENGO.

In fact, there are all sorts of unions. There’s even a union for part time and foreign workers called the Kyabakura Union (キャバクラユニオン). Although membership in labor unions have steadily declined by the 1980s, labor unions still play an important role in Japanese companies. Labor unions and companies in Japan still collaborate on issues such as pay, benefits and other business issues. Of course, throughout the years, some labor unions have lost their bargaining leverage with the bad economy.

However, labor unions in Japan still have a visible presence by organizing and rallying on events such as May Day. Although labor unions still rally like before, there is more caution placed on not seeming too radical. It’s because socialism gained its height in Japan in the 1920s, and some members of the older generation still view the Communist Party of Japan with suspicion. In the 1930s, several prominent communist leaders were imprisoned and their property confiscated.

Basically, it was a really ugly, unpleasant, and tumultuous time in Japanese history, and labor unions are careful not to bring up old associations with this party. At the rallies, people make speeches and wave banners, nothing more extreme than that. Here’s an example, of what might go on in a typical rally :