As the copper mines developed more and more, laborers gathered in Ashio. Tsuruzo Nagaoka and Sukematsu Minami established a labor union here. In 1907, they organized a big riot to demand for higher wages and the improvement of labor conditions, 24 items in all.
After that, four more riots broke out. Also, the Second Annual May Day was carried out in Ashio in 1921. It was the first May Day held in a copper mine. After World War 2, a new labor union was formed and many labor movements active.
Another problem was "YOROKE", an incurable disease. People working in copper mines became ill after breathing in dust for many years. Laborers demanded measures against the disease . It look many years for it to be recognized as a worker's accident and the nation guaranteed laborer's livelihood.
Laborers met their leaders at the Tsudo Station
