In this year marking the 20th anniversary of the adoption of "Convention on the Rights of the Child" at United Nations and the 15th anniversary of its ratification, JTU (Japan Teachers' Union) held the 97th Regular General Assembly and reaffirmed its efforts to enhance the activities, aiming at the realization of a "labor-based welfare society" and an "education-based democratic society".

The financial and economic crisis has unveiled the negative aspect of globalization to widen the disparity and intensify poverty in the world. History proves that the profits-first attitude of some people and countries deteriorates the disparity and poverty thus leading to violence and war. Now that neo-liberalism has collapsed, we should pursue the idea of the Constitution, particularly that of Article 9, and develop a society which ensures anxiety-free and safe living to all people under international solidarity.

The prolonged recession affects the education and career options of students. In Japan, where the ratio of public spending for education is limited, the "chain of poverty" causes an "immobilized disparity", as seen in the increasing number of students who are forced to give up proceeding to higher education for economic reasons. It's urgent for us to increase the budget of public education and to implement specific measures which ensure the rights of learning to every child.

Concerning career options after graduation, many people, mainly females and young people, have no choice but to work as non-regular employees, and are pushed to "termination of contract" or "dismissal from temporary job". "Withdrawal of employment offer" became a large social problem at the end of fiscal 2008.

Under these circumstances, JTU cooperates with Rengo (Japanese Trade Union Confederation) to collect donations for job assistance and child support. However, it is necessary to review the redistribution rate of taxes and social welfare payments and the distribution rate of profits to the laborers. We should realize a change of government and proceed to reconstruct the social safety net.

In the field of education, market mechanisms and competitive principles continue to control the education policy, which aggravates the students' decreased motivation for learning and the polarization of their academic achievement, making the workplaces busier and bringing the teachers' mental and physical fatigue beyond their limits. We need comprehensive and drastic reforms which respect the Constitution and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, for example, the enhancement of "comprehensive study", the development of labor education, and the paradigm shift (changeover of values) from "score-based academic achievement" and "entrance-examination-oriented academic achievement", especially in later secondary education. Through further fulfillment of educational campaigns, featuring the educational research activities (studies on teaching), we will implement the measures to promote the formation of a social consensus.

For this purpose, social dialogues with parents, communities, colleagues and administrations are essential, and we should aim at reconfirming the basic labor rights together with the recovery of "union membership rate to 50%" in the immediate future as our most important tasks.

Now is the time to carry on a campaign on the basis of dialogue and practice, in line with the policies determined in this Convention, in order to make the "participation, proposal and reform" effective, to realize a society which respects peace, human rights, environment, coexistence, and democracy, and to ensure fruitful learning for children.

JTU herewith adopts and proclaims the present Declaration.

July 8, 2009
Japan Teachers' Union, The 97th Regular General Assembly