Good morning to all of you, ladies and gentlemen,

Members of the Lower and the Upper Houses,

Dear colleagues from the ILO “Alliance” if I may call it so.

I am so humbled to have this opportunity this morning to not only speak with you but to have a dialogue on several issues that are at the heart of the ILO’s mandate.

Japan and the ILO have been partners for a long time.

Japan was a founding Member of the ILO in 1919 and has had a permanent seat on our Governing Body from the very beginning.

Your participation in the ILO's tripartite structure, which brings together governments, employers, and workers, has been instrumental in ensuring that the Organization's policies are grounded in the realities of the world of work.

In recent years, Japan has worked closely with the ILO to address some of the most pressing labour issues facing the world today.

This includes child labour and forced labour in the Asia-Pacific region as well as in all other regions; decent work deficits in supply chains; and promoting responsible business conduct under the framework of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Today, I want with your permission to talk to you about another pressing issue, the urgent need to promote Social Justice around the world.

And how Japan can contribute to the ILO’s vision of ensuring decent work for all, everywhere.

The ILO’s latest information on the world of work describes a very worrying picture, I must say, for social justice.

The improvement in global labour markets last year has not been sustained, and globally we still have a deficit of hours worked that is the equivalent of 40 million full-time jobs.

The cost-of-living crisis is pushing more people into poverty, including working poverty. And when we talk about working poverty we talk about workers that despite having a full-time job are still earning below the poverty line.

In the longer term, the mega trends that will shape global labour markets will be demographic change, climate change, technological advancement and automation, as well as changing global supply chains.

Japan is also experiencing the impact of these major global upheavals.

Technological change has led to increased efficiency, productivity, and innovation. But it has also resulted in job displacement, particularly in low-skilled sectors.

Rapid population ageing and a shrinking labour force are putting pressure on the labour market, social security systems, and overall economic growth.

And, the reality of the climate crisis is becoming all too clear in Japan as well. Record breaking typhoons have caused trillions of yen in damages.

This only confirms what we know: that climate change is not some faraway event, but a direct threat to Japan's economy and workforce; indeed, a direct threat to the global economy.

To address these challenges, Japan has implemented a series of policies and initiatives aimed at promoting innovation, job creation, and economic growth.

You have chosen to invest in human capital. And as I’ve discussed during the G7 Labour and Employment Ministers’ meeting in Kurashiki - this is an investment, not a cost.

You have encouraged women and elderly workers to enter the workforce.

But the challenges facing Japan are global and they require global solutions.

If we want to achieve shared prosperity, inclusive growth, and universal and lasting peace, we must first achieve social justice.

As you know very well, and as I would like to recall, the Preamble of the ILO Constitution makes it very clear - there is no lasting peace without social justice.

This is why we need a coalition - a Global Coalition for Social Justice.

A Coalition that will create a platform to bring together a broad range of international bodies and stakeholders.

A Coalition that will create a platform to elevate the political discourse as to the need to bring together economic growth, protection of the environment, and social justice – the three pillars for our future.

A Coalition that will advance social justice through joint actions aimed at reducing inequalities, promoting decent work, eliminating gender-related and other forms of discrimination, and providing essential services, such as health, education, food, water, housing, social protection and human security.

It will position social justice as the keystone of the global recovery.

In sum we have to ensure, moving forward, that our global and common future is human-centred.

Japan is uniquely positioned to make a substantial contribution to the Global Coalition.

Your sophisticated social security and welfare system is a model to follow.

Japan's effective strategy for green and just transition, its contribution to development cooperation, and its contribution to multilateralism demonstrate its commitment to global social justice.

In light of this, I am glad to see that ILO instruments and tools are already being used and promoted in Japan, including in your Government Guidelines for Responsible Supply Chains, and your National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.

Japan is also a major development partner supporting the ILO’s efforts to promote fundamental principles and rights at work as well as business respect for human and labour rights. This includes the newly added fundamental principle on Occupational Safety and Health.

The strong role of Japan is exemplified by the ILO projects that you support on responsible global supply chains and business practices - in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, amongst others.

This work is making a real difference to lives and futures in the Asia-Pacific region.

And in addition to our long-standing partnerships with Japanese ministries and agencies, we want to promote more robust collaboration through new commitments with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (MITI), the Japan External Trade Organization, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). With them our aspirations can be put into practice.

In the fight for Social Justice, the Japanese Diet is very well placed to play a crucial role.

A role of mobilizing and defending the decent work agenda:

• like you did in 2019, during the ILO's centenary, when the Diet adopted a resolution reconfirming Japan’s commitment to pursuing and achieving the principles and objectives of the ILO;
• like it did again last year, when Japan ratified the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, No. 105 as you referred to earlier.

Now we look forward to the ratification by Japan of two outstanding fundamental Conventions - Convention 111 on Discrimination (Employment and Occupation), and Convention 155 on Occupational Safety and Health.

The Diet can encourage workplace diversity and inclusion. It can enact legislation that protects workers' rights and provides support for the self-employed.

In a nutshell, the Diet can play a crucial role in shaping the future of work in Japan, and potentially the rest of the world.

Thanks to its political diversity, the Parliamentarians’ League on ILO Activities can help promote all these initiatives. You have a unique value in addressing global challenges in the world of work.

Now more than ever, we must mobilize and unite to defend our common values.

We count on you, as you have shown your commitment in the past. Only by working together will we succeed in facing the great challenges ahead.

And only together, through the Global Coalition for Social Justice, can we ensure that all people everywhere have access to basic human rights, including decent work, fair wages, and safe and healthy working conditions.

We have the chance to reshape the world we live in – economically, socially and environmentally. Because - and let me end on this – remember the Declaration of Philadelphia: it reminds us that poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere.

Thank you so much.