In the 1980s, Japanese companies increasingly transferred production overseas, particularly to Asian countries, and foreign workers started streaming in from all over the world. As a consequence, the number of appeals for support for workers engaged in struggles with Japanese multinational corporations (MNCs) overseas and for foreign workers in Japan increased dramatically, including numerous invitations to attend or speak at international conferences.In 1989, the 4th APWSL General Meeting was held in Tokyo and Osaka. After that, an APWSL-Japan Steering Committee was formally established on June 30, 1990. Every year since then, a national General Meeting has been held in July. At present, about 30 groups and 80 individuals are members of APWSL-Japan. Meetings are held on a monthly basis in the Tokyo and Osaka areas.