A recovery-path request message control block generates, sends, and receives a recovery-path request message containing failure location information and recovery-path setup information. A label assignment message control block generates, sends, and receives a label assignment message. A setup label information generation block generates setup label information. A recovery-path label table management block constructs and manages a recovery-path label table. A failure detection block detects the location of a failure. A failure notification message transfer block transfers a failure notification message containing failure location information. A recovery-path establishment block establishes a recovery-path by comparing failure location information contained in a failure notification message and failure location information contained in a recovery-path label table and by selecting setup label information corresponding to matching failure location information.