A four-day work week will be introduced in Tokyo

The government of the Japanese capital, Tokyo, plans to introduce a four-day work week for all civil servants. The new rules may come into effect as early as April next year, the Japan Times reports.

The Tokyo government expects such measures to boost the record low birth rate and help working mothers.

"We will revise the workload so that women do not have to sacrifice their careers due to the birth or upbringing of children. It is time for Tokyo to take the initiative to protect and strengthen the lives and economy of our people in these difficult times for the country," said the Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike .

Employees with children will be given the choice of keeping their full salary or forgoing a portion and leaving two hours earlier to spend more time with their families.

Metropolitan government employees are currently on flexible working hours, which allows them to add one extra day off every four weeks.

According to the Ministry of Health, the number of children born in Japan in 2023 fell to a historic low of 727,2. person, and the total birth rate fell to the lowest in recorded history. The total fertility rate, which shows the ratio of the average number of children born in the country to one woman of childbearing age, fell from 1,26 to 1,20, the lowest since its first count in 1947.

Sociologists attribute the reasons for the low birth rate to Japan's exhausting work culture and the rising cost of living. There is even a special Japanese term "karoshi" - they mean death from processing. The medical causes of this phenomenon are heart attack or stroke against the background of stress, overwork and malnutrition. A 2022 report by the Japanese Ministry of Health states that 10,1% of men and 4,2% of women work more than 60 hours a week.

"The reasons why Japanese people work overtime are cultural and social in nature. These things don't change quickly," explained Tim Craig, who has taught and conducted research at Japan's leading business schools for over 20 years.

One of the largest companies in Japan, Panasonic, in 2022 introduced the opportunity for employees to switch to a four-day work week, but from 63 thousand only about 150 employees, who have the right to do so, took advantage of it.