-- EDIT --

Here are some stats: http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?QueryId=20167

Apparently Sweden used to be around 80% unionized in 1999, but the numbers have fallen pretty sharply since then. These days they sit a little below 70%, which is still remarkably high.

My understanding is that engineers and other technical people are often unionized in Sweden, but that could be as outdated as my 85% number above.

Japanese unions are rather different tho; they do seem to serve some purpose as an employee-advocate, but are very strongly inclined towards compromise rather than confrontation. [When I first started working here, I was warned every year during the salary-negotiation period to be "prepared to strike!" ... eventually I thought to ask, and was told there had never been a strike... :]