The 111th Extraordinary Congress of Japan Teachers’ Union was held on 23rd March 2022.

At the beginning, the “Urgent Action Appeal to Protest Russia’s Aggression of Ukraine and Demand Immediate Withdrawal” was adopted. Hideyuki Shimizu, the former President, addressed “let’s raise our voices to call for the importance of peace education and spread our movement for the abolition of nuclear weapons and a lasting peace in the world”. War is the worst violation of human rights, and it is unforgivable for any reason. Under the slogan “Never Send Again Our Students to the Battlefield”, JTU will work in solidarity with civil society and NGOs, protest Russia’s Aggression of Ukraine, and call for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal from Ukraine.

In the Congress, the new members of JTU Executive Board for two years 2022-2023 were elected, and Tsukasa Takimoto became the new President. In his remarks, it was mentioned that JTU prioritised the union growth and work style reform as the most important challenges. Since the origin of the union is in the workplace, we must build a union that can support and help each other in the workplace. Work style reforms at schools have not progressed at all due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection. However, it is important for unions to protect our colleagues at work while continuing to call for systemic reforms nationwide in Japan. JTU will work to make us a familiar presence. In conclusion, he stressed “JTU has been campaigning for a better present and future for children and education. Let’s stay close to each child and listen to them to protect and promote their well-being”.