Japans Democrats Sweep into power on Temp Agency Ban

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssOfficeEquipment/idUST7557220090831
The Democrats have proposed banning "in principle" the dispatch of temporary workers to manufacturing jobs, ending a system that has helped the auto and electronics industries keep costs low but has also added to instability in the workforce.
"I don't quite agree with the DPJ's idea of banning temporary workers. Temporary employment has had benefits for both companies and workers," Masamitsu Sakurai, chairman of Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives) told a news conference.
"It has sustained the country's economic growth and diversified ways of working," added Sakurai, who is also chairman of office equipment maker Ricoh Co .
After a decade of corporate cost-cutting and labour market deregulation, about one-third of all employees in Japan are non-regular workers without job security, a category that includes part-timers, contract workers and temporary staff.