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Socialism first gained a major foothold in Japan after the revolution and the subsequent Meiji restoration of 1868. Against the background of the rapid development of capitalism in Japan after the revolution, and the accompanying emergence of the worki.

"This book provides a comprehensive history of Nikkeiren--the Japan Federation of Employers' Associations--from its formation in 1948 to its merger with Keidanren in 2002. Nikkeiren's role within Japanese capitalism is explored, both in its early days as a union-busting organ of class power and in its later mode, where it more often resorted to manipulation and mystification. Using the different periods of postwar Japanese capitalism as a context, the author carefully traces the history of Nikkeiren. Up until 1960 the federation led Japanese employers in the campaign to win back 'the right to manage', which had been lost in the chaotic aftermath of Japan's defeat in the Second World War. Nikkeiren achieved this by forging solidarity between employers in order to win a succession of bitterly fought labour disputes where the objective was not merely to defeat but to annihilate militant unions. Subsequently, Nikkeiren switched its emphasis to manipulation of the workforce and to a mutually advantageous trade-off with the leaders of increasingly enterprise-orientated unions. The federation also put a great amount of effort into generating a mystifying ideology. Largely based on Japanese sources, this is the first comprehensive study of Nikkeiren to appear in English. In addition to providing a detailed empirical account of Nikkeiren's organization and activity, this book throws light on the nature and function of class power, the inherent tendency of unions to collaborate with capitalist institutions and the limitations of capitalism as a mode of production. As a result, Crump suggests that coercive class power, manipulation and mystification are not confined to Japan, but are inevitable features of capitalism everywhere."