Japan is considering three days off a week
Last Updated on September 1, 2024 9:32 am
Japan’s government is considering introducing a four-day work week with three days off for workers in Japanese offices. The labor crisis is increasing at an alarming rate in the country. To overcome this crisis, the country is thinking of starting a four-day working week.
Japan’s SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. In 2020, employees began to be given three days off per week. Banking firm Mizuho Financial Group offers a three-day schedule option.
A four-day work week was then officially proposed in Japan for the first time in 2021. Lawmakers at the time expressed support for the idea. But later the implementation of this idea slowed down. At the time, about 8 percent of Japanese companies allowed workers to take three or more days off a week, according to data from the country’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. However, 7 percent of companies give their employees a legally mandated day off.
Currently, the government has launched a ‘work style reform’ campaign in hopes of creating more buyers among small and medium-sized businesses. It promotes shorter working hours and other flexible arrangements, including overtime limits and paid annual leave. The name of this campaign is ‘Hatarakikata Kaikaku’. It means ‘innovating how we work’.
On the website of the ministry, it is said about this campaign, ‘A society will be built where workers can choose different jobs based on their situation. A virtuous cycle of growth and distribution must be created so that the future of workers can be better.
The department, which oversees new support services for businesses, says so far only three companies have come forward to request advice on creating changes, relevant regulations and available subsidies.
Working long hours has become the norm in Japan. However, 85 percent of employers reported giving their employees two days off a week. The country has legal restrictions on overtime hours. There are regular discussions with the labor union about these. However, some Japanese do ‘service overtime’. This means it has no documentation and is done without any compensation.
A recent government white paper mentions ‘Karoshi’. This Japanese word means ‘death from overwork’ in English. According to the white paper, this causes at least 54 deaths a year in Japan, including heart attacks.
According to official data, Japan currently has a working age population of 74 million. In 2065 it will decrease to 4 crore 50 lakh.
Proponents of the three-day leave model say it would encourage people raising children, caring for elderly relatives, retirees on pensions and those looking for flexibility or extra income to stay in the workforce longer.
Akiko Yokohama works at Tokyo-based technology company Spelldata. This organization allows employees to work on a four-day schedule. Wednesday is a weekend with Saturday and Sunday. On this extra day off, he can do some extra personal work including shopping.
“It’s hard to do these things when you don’t feel well for five days straight,” Yokohama said. Rest gives you a chance to recover or see a doctor. Emotionally it is less stressful.
Yokohama’s husband is a real estate broker. He also gets a day off on Wednesday. Because of this, they can go on mid-week family outings with their children.
Already in Japan, fast-retailing companies, owners of clothing brands Uniqlo, Theory, J Brand and others, pharmaceutical company Shionogi & Company, and electronics companies Ricoh Company and Hitachi have begun offering four-day work weeks in recent years.