Wives of construction workers rally

Thousands of women gathered in Tokyo on Friday, demanding more jobs for their husbands and sons who are subcontract construction workers in the capital and surrounding areas. Such workers are being hit hard by lower wages due to the recession, and fewer public works projects.

The rally at Hibiya Park in central Tokyo attracted more than 3,300 women. Some participants from Chiba said their families are facing serious hardship and living on scant earnings.

A group of women from Tokyo performed a short play dramatizing how they have cut spending on their children's education and recreational activities.

Last year, the construction industry recorded its lowest number of contracts since the collapse of Japan's bubble economy at the beginning of the 1990s.

Some subcontract construction workers have seen their wages drop by 40 percent over the past 3 years.

The wife of one worker with 2 children said their household budget is severely strained, and said she attended the rally thinking she had to act to change the situation.