One of the main problems of Japan remains the demographic crisis, which has led to an increase in the average age of the population to 49.9 years. To try to remedy the situation, Tokyo will introduce a four-day work week, informs Fortune.
In April, the government of Tokyo, one of the country’s largest employers, will allow employees to work just four days a week. A “partial parental leave” policy will also be introduced, which will allow some employees to reduce their working day by two hours. The goal of these changes is to help parents better combine work and childcare.
“We will continue to flexibly review working styles to ensure that women do not have to sacrifice their careers due to life events such as childbirth or raising children.”, – said Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko.
The need for such measures became even more urgent in 2024, when Japan’s birth rate fell to record lows. From January to June, 350,074 newborns were registered in the country — this is 5.7% less than in the same period last year. Japan’s total fertility rate in 2023 was 1.2, and Tokyo’s was an even lower 0.99, while it would need to be at 2.1 to maintain a stable population.
Despite the country’s long-term efforts in the fight against low birth rate, it has not been possible to achieve noticeable results so far. For example, even the launch of its own state-owned dating app did not have a significant effect. At the same time, moving to a four-day work week could have a real positive impact, as it would help to solve some of the problems associated with work culture in Japan.
