Red Purge

In 1950, during the Allied occupation of Japan after World War II, members of the Japanese Communist Party and other alledgedly 'red' persons were excluded from public service. The 'Red Purge' also affected workers in the media and in private corporations. Dismissals were massive. The formation of the General Council of Trade Unions (Sohyo) on 13 July 1950 fitted into the Red Purge. It was meant as an alternative to the All Japan Congress of Industrial Unions (Sanbetsu), which had links to the Communist Party.