The Tokyo metropolitan government will launch an experiment starting in April 2025 that will allow civil servants to work four days a week. The initiative aims to counter Japan’s, and particularly the capital’s, drastic population decline by making it easier to balance work and family life. Workers will be able to choose an extra day off, gaining more flexibility and time to devote to their children. This program is part of a global movement to promote the “four days on, three days off” model, which is often associated with benefits such as higher productivity and lower absenteeism.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike stressed the importance of reviewing work patterns to prevent events such as the birth of a child from forcing people, particularly women, to sacrifice careers. She called women’s empowerment a historic priority for Japan, where a rigid work culture and the phenomenon of karoshi (death from overwork) are significant obstacles.
The experiment is supported by 4 Day Week Global, a British organization promoting the benefits of the short work week, which has already been successfully tested in several countries. However, the results are still being debated.
Japan’s demographic crisis is alarming: by 2024, births could fall below 700,000, a figure not seen since 1899. This decline threatens not only the labor force, but also the economic foundations of the country, already grappling with a record aging population.
Tokyo has already experimented with other solutions, such as an official dating app aimed at encouraging marriages and stable relationships. The hope is that measures such as the reduced work week will create a more family-friendly environment, prompting people to have children and devote the time needed to raise them.
fonte: Millionaire.it