A rare photo of women workers on strike which would last 106 days. "Among the many disputes after the war, a very special one is known as the 'Human Rights Dispute.' A new company union was founded at the Ōmi Kenshi Mills in May 1954. The dispute began with the union's presentation of a list of twenty-two demands, centering on the protection of human rights [including recognition of the union]. When the company denied the request, the workers [mainly female], immediately went on strike. The union joined an alliance, and the confrontation between labor and management took a serious turn. The dispute was temporarily settled through mediation of the Central Labor Relations Commission but flared up again over setting a date for resumption of operations. When the company fired nineteen union members, the union countered with a picket line and demonstration. The battle continued to escalate, and finally labor and management agreed again to mediation and accepted a settlement. Finally, the 'Human Rights Dispute,' which had originated with women workers at the Ōmi Kenshi Mills, came to an end."

From: Sengo nijūnen shashinshū (Twenty Years After the War Through Photographs). Tokyo: Kyōdō Tsūshinsha Kaihatsukyoku, 1965.