Full coverage: International Workers' Day

And other Asian countries are also paying attention to improve their labor conditions.  The Japanese government has tightened regulations on overtime work, to rectify the notoriously long working hours at Japanese firms. In 2015, legal claims relating to deaths from overwork rose to a record high of 1,456 cases.

Indonesian workers are calling for higher wages and improved health conditions, amid worries about a slowing economy and competition from neighboring ASEAN countries.

In Thailand, activists are calling on authorities to resolve issues such as child labor, low-wage long-hour abuse, unsafe working conditions. Sources say only two percent of Thailand’s 40 million workforce belong to labor unions.