"Boss, will there be a union in this company?"

In April, 1957, Mitsuji Nakamatsu, the manager of the Tokyo branch, was asked this question by a young salesman. The salesman said that as he was making his rounds to the usual clients, one of them had asked him this. Nakamatsu and the other management had had no idea that the employees had been moving to form a union.

Around February of that year, activity had begun, by a certain few employees. Secretly, they recruited about half of the other employees; mainly new employees from the Kanto and surrounding areas. Those from Osaka and those who had worked hard through the Tokyo Kobayashi Daiyakubo era turned down the invitation.

The central activists' claims were surprisingly vehement: "Management is inconsiderate, and the wages are too low! We have to form a union to look after our own interests too!"

Nakamatsu was not particularly inclined against unionization, but he did not have much patience for activity which bred antagonism within the company and threatened its continued existence. With discussion between management and employees, there should have been no need for antagonism between company and workers. However, contrary to Nakamatsu's wishes, the Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Tokyo Branch Labor Union (Branch Union) was formed on May 12 with 140 members representing 60% of the employees. Of 240, 100 employees did not join. On the day the Branch Union was formed, it was decided to affiliate with the Tokyo Small and Mid-sized General Union Association (Tokyo General)-a hint of the troubles that were to follow.

Responding to the new union, the company entered into negotiations. As fellow employees working towards the same goal, the Tokyo branch directors, and even Saburo in Osaka, believed that by discussing the issues, they could reach an understanding. However, the union made one unreasonable demand after another, and any word from the management was met with protestations of discrimination or unjust labor relations.

Then, on September 2, approximately 60 of the remaining employees, feeling insecure under these conditions, formed the Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Tokyo Branch Employee Labor union (Employee Union), advocating the resolution of differences through moderate and coherent discussion, and in opposition to the Branch Union.

The peaceful atmosphere that had existed before the formation of the union in May came to a full stop, so the president, taking the matter seriously, sent several veteran employees to Tokyo with orders to try to bring back the "Old" Kobayashi atmosphere.

With the year coming to an end and entering the New Year, still the defiant attitude of the Branch Union continued. Then, in February 1958, the Branch Union attacked with unprecedented, unimaginable requests. More than requests, they amounted to an ultimatum.