Japan Pushes Four-Day Workweek To Create 'Virtuous Cycle of Growth'

Japan wants its companies and employees to adopt four-day workweeks and break with a cultural mindset that leads to at least 54 people to suffer "death from overwork" every year.

Since first floating the idea three years ago, the government has launched a new "work style reform" campaign that promotes shorter hours, overtime limits and paid leave, the Associated Press reported Saturday.

"By realizing a society in which workers can choose from a variety of working styles based on their circumstances, we aim to create a virtuous cycle of growth and distribution and enable each and every worker to have a better outlook for the future," according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare website.

The ministry recently started offering grants and free consulting to support the initiative, especially among small- and medium-sized businesses.

Proponents say it would encourage people to raise children and care for relatives and also allow older workers to remain employed longer as the country grapples with an aging population and a labor shortage.

But only three companies have so far expressed interest, AP said.

And while Panasonic Holdings Corp. has made 63,000 employees eligible for four-day schedules, a mere 150 have signed up.

Although 85% of employers say their workers get two days off each week and there are limits on overtime, some workers perform unpaid "service overtime."

A recent government white paper on "karoshi," a Japanese term for "death from overwork," found that it kills at least 54 people a year, including from heart attacks.

"Work is a big deal here. It's not just a way to make money, although it is that, too," said Tim Craig, the author of the 2017 book "Cool Japan: Case Studies from Japan's Cultural and Creative Industries."

Critics of the government program also say that putting people on a four-day workweek often results in them working just as hard as they did before — but for less pay.

Kanako Ogino, president of Tokyo-based NS Group, which operates karaoke venues and hotels, said that offering flexible hours was a must for filling jobs in the service industry, where women make up most of the workforce.

Akiko Yokohama, who works at Spelldata, a small Tokyo-based technology company that allows employees to work a four-day schedule, said she takes off Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

"It's hard when you aren't feeling well to keep going for five days in a row. The rest allows you to recover or go see the doctor. Emotionally, it's less stressful," Yokohama said.