Japan promotes flexible hours and a 4‑day workweek amid the labor crisis

The government of Japan has launched a campaign promoting flexible working hours, overtime limits, paid leave, and a four-day workweek, as reported by the AP agency on Saturday. This marks a significant shift for the Japanese people, who even have a term in their language for working oneself to death - karoshi.

This is not the first such initiative by the Japanese authorities. In 2021, they also expressed support for a shorter workweek.

Selected companies in industries such as clothing, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and banking are offering their employees a four-day workweek.

Despite the health ministry's campaign, the Japanese do not seem interested, noted the AP. As reported, in one of Panasonic's plants, over 63,000 employees are eligible for the four-day workweek, and only 150 decided to take advantage of it.

The lifestyle combining workaholism with stoicism and emphasizing sacrificing for the employer remains popular in Japanese society. In a recently published government white paper on karoshi, it was stated that at least 54 deaths are confirmed annually for these very reasons. The most common cause is a heart attack.

According to Japanese authorities, shortening the workweek could help maintain a profitable workforce despite declining birth rates. They believe that a model with three days off a week may encourage Japanese employees to stay in the workforce longer and postpone retirement.

According to government data, the working-age population is expected to fall by 40% from approximately 74 million to around 45 million by 2065.

Critics of the government's actions argue that, in practice, people working four days a week often work just as hard for much lower pay.

According to the latest Gallup report, only 6% of Japanese people declare engagement in their work, compared to the global average of 23%.