Japan’s new workweek: Overcoming "karoshi" with flexible hours

The government of Japan has launched a campaign promoting the introduction of flexible working hours, overtime limits, paid leave, and a four-day work week, the AP agency reported on Saturday at 9:00 AM Eastern Time. This was a major revolution for the Japanese people, who even had a term in their language for working oneself to death - karoshi.

This is not the first such initiative by the Japanese authorities, who expressed support for a shorter workweek in 2021.

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, as noted by the AP. As reported, in one of Panasonic's plants, where over 63,000 employees are eligible for the four-day work week, only 150 decided to take advantage of it.

It turns out that the lifestyle combining workaholism with stoicism and the emphasis on sacrificing for the employer is still 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%.