All Japan Seamen's Union
JSU / Zen Nihon Kaiin Kumiai · Founded 1945 · Tokyo, Japan · Japan
- Membership scope
- ~40,000 members — Japanese seafarers on Japan-controlled foreign-flag vessels (predominantly Panama and Bahamas flags) plus the shrinking domestic Japan-flag coastal fleet.
- Key CBA framework
- JSU Standard Employment Agreement; JSU-IBF Framework signatory contracts
- Website
- www.jsu.or.jp
What this union does
The All Japan Seamen's Union (Zen Nihon Kaiin Kumiai) was founded 1945 during the US Occupation and today represents ~40,000 Japanese seafarers, predominantly on Japan-controlled foreign-flag deep-sea vessels operated by the three main Japanese liner groups (NYK, MOL, K-Line — the shareholders of ONE) plus tanker owners (Idemitsu, Mitsui O.S.K. Tankers) and bulker owners (Nippon Yusen Bulkship, Kawasaki Kisen Bulkship). Japanese officers on these vessels historically earn the highest rank-adjusted wages in the international seafarer market — a legacy of the JSU's aggressive post-war bargaining and Japan's status as a major shipping industrial power. JSU-signed contracts operate under the IBF Framework Agreement, and the union is one of the more effective ITF-affiliate participants in the annual IBF wage negotiations. For non-Japanese officers considering employment on Japan-controlled vessels, the JSU-IBF agreement sets the wage floor.
Contact route
https://www.jsu.or.jp/contact — Tokyo HQ + Kobe + Yokohama branches.