The commission was quite large, consisting of "three Welfare ministry bureaucrats and two scholars, a steering committee of 30 members (including the communist firebrand Kyuichi Tokuda), and an overall membership of more than 130 members representing universities, corporations, political parties, the bureaucracy, social workers, and labor." The post-war Japanese Constitution The constitution of Japan, which became law on 3 May 1947 includes article 28, which guarantees the right of workers to participate in a trade union. 1949 Law and subsequent amendments On 1 June 1949 a new version of the Trade Union Law was enacted. It has since been amended in 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1959, 1962, 1966, 1971, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2004, and 2005. Main provisions Structure The law consists of 5 chapters, an order for the enforcement of the Trade Union law, and supplementary provisions: Chapter 1 General Provisions (Articles 1-4) Chapter 2 Labor Unions (Articles 5-13) Chapter 3 Labor Relations Commissions Section 1 Establishment, Duties, and Matters under the Jurisdiction, Organizations, etc. (Articles 19-26) Section 2 Procedures for Examination of Cases of Unfair Labor Practices (Articles 27 - 27-19) Section 3 Lawsuits (Articles 27-19 - 27-21) Section 4 Miscellaneous Provisions (Articles 27-22 - 27-26) Chapter 5 Penal Provisions (Articles 28-33) Order for the enforcement of the trade union act Supplementary Provisions Unfair Labor Practices Prohibited under Article 7 of the Act, an unfair labor practice is when an employer interferes with the rights of workers to join, organize, or take part in union activities, and also for an employer refusing to collectively bargain with a union. See also Japanese labour law Notes References Dower, John. Embracing Defeat. Penguin, 1999. . Pages 82–245,255. External links Full English text of the Trade Union Law from the Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training Full Japanese text of the Trade Union Law from e-Gov Postwar Japan Japanese labour law 1945 in law 1949 in law 1949 in Japan Trade union legislation 1949 in labor relations