Tokyo Government Introduces 4-Day Workweek to Enhance Work-Life Balance and Tackle Low Fertility Rates – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
3:43 PM – Monday, December 9, 2024
The Tokyo government is reportedly set to implement a four-day workweek for its employees, aiming to support young families and address the declining fertility rates in Japan.
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Governor Yuriko Koike announced that beginning in April, employees of the Metropolitan government will have the option to take three days off each week.
“We will review work styles with flexibility, ensuring that no one has to sacrifice their career due to life events such as childbirth or childcare,” she stated during a policy address at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly’s fourth regular session.
Japan’s fertility rate has plummeted to a record low of 1.2, while a rate of 2.1 is required for stable population levels. In 2023, the government began exploring ways to assist families, according to CNN.
Additionally, Governor Koike disclosed a new policy enabling parents with children in elementary schools to exchange a portion of their salary for the opportunity to leave work early.
“Now is the time for Tokyo to lead the charge in protecting and enhancing the lives, livelihoods, and economy of our citizens during these trying times for the nation,” she emphasized.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan recorded only 727,277 births last year. Experts attribute the low birth rate to the country’s exhausting overtime work culture, which often forces women to choose between career ambitions and family life. The labor force participation gender gap in Japan is notably larger than in other high-income nations, with women’s participation at 55% compared to men’s at 72%, according to the World Bank.
Some observers contend that Japan’s unique dating culture also plays a role in the low fertility rate.
In a segment of CNN’s 2019 documentary series “Sex & Love Around the World,” various Japanese women confessed to never being intimate with their husbands, with some acknowledging they found sexual and emotional satisfaction outside their marriages. Conversely, many Japanese men—both single and married—view consuming porn in public, engaging with sex dolls, and visiting “soaplands” or “love hotels” (essentially brothels) as normal, as noted by interviewees in the CNN documentary.
Supporters of the four-day workweek argue that this change could afford government employees more time to nurture their children and strengthen bonds with their partners.
“If everyone is getting more time off, I believe it will positively affect the population and the nation as a whole,” remarked one user on X.
In 2022, a series of global trials by 4 Day Week Global, a nonprofit organization, included a pilot program for a four-day workweek. Nine out of ten participants expressed a desire to continue with the four-day workweek, citing improvements in their mental and physical health.
Earlier this year, Singapore introduced new regulations requiring all companies to consider employee requests for flexible work arrangements, including four-day workweeks.
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