The government employees in the Japanese capital of Tokyo are all set to enjoy a four-day work week. The policy to be implemented by the Government of Japan has prompted developed nations to consider whether it is possible for them to introduce the same rule.

In 2024, Japan decided to reduce the working week of government employees to four days and to introduce the rule in Tokyo first. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government issued a notification in this regard, stating that employees of the Metropolitan Government would enjoy three days off in a week. Yuriko Koike, the Governor of Tokyo, said that the new arrangement would begin in April 2025, offering employees three days off every week. She informed the media that employees would enjoy a four-day work week from the first day of the new financial year (2025-26) or April 1.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government does not have a huge number of employees. However, the concerned authorities in Japan had to make this decision under pressure. Koike claimed that the move would help working mothers and also improve low fertility rates! She explained that there was a tendency of infertility among working women. Therefore, the birth rate has gone down in recent times. “We will continue to review work styles flexibly to ensure that women do not have to sacrifice their careers due to life events such as childbirth or childbearing,” stressed Koike.

Addressing the Local Legislature on November 17, 2024, the Governor said that the new policy would allow parents with children in elementary schools to trade off a bit of their salaries for the option to clock out early. Koike stressed: “Now is the time for Tokyo to take the initiative to protect and enhance the lives, livelihoods and economy of our people during these challenging times for the nation.”

Birth rate has been falling steadily in the Asia Pacific nation for the past few years. In a report, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare mentioned that the fertility rate declined to a sheer 1.2 children expected per woman during her lifetime in 2023. It is the lowest in a decade. According to experts, the number should be at least 2.1 for a population to remain stable. Hence, the new policy is designed to encourage Japanese couples to have babies. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government believes that the four-day work week would increase the birth rate. Meanwhile, it is still not clear whether the same rule would be implemented in other government offices in the coming days.

It may be noted that Microsoft had experimented with a four-day work week at its Japan offices in August 2019 under a new initiative, known as the Work-Life Choice Challenge Summer 2019. The tech giant offered its 2,300 employees five Fridays off in a row without reducing salary. Despite a reduction in workdays, Microsoft Japan reported a 40% boost in productivity, as it was also able to conserve resources, like electricity consumption, which dropped by 23%. Since 2019, Microsoft Japan has followed a four working days policy.

Analysts are of the opinion that there are other benefits of a shorter work week. Dr Aniket Mule, a consultant in Internal Medicine at Wockhardt Hospitals (India), has welcomed the move of the Japanese Government, saying: “A shorter workweek can boost mental health and productivity while also improving physical health by facilitating consistent sleep and exercise routines.”

However, others have claimed that work load might increase in case of a decrease in weekly working hours. They have argued that it might be difficult for employees to complete the day’s work within the allotted time. There would also be a possibility of making mistakes while working fast! Furthermore, the concerned organisation or government could reduce the number of annual leaves after implementing the four-day work week policy. Then, employees would be deprived of long leave (if necessary). Excessive workload might also have a negative impact on health, as well as fertility. A section of psychologists has expressed concern over the introduction of a four-day work week policy, saying that it would increase the stress level of employees.

However, it is impossible to implement this policy in important government departments, like Home or Defence. Such a discrimination among government employees can lead to other problems! The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, therefore, has decided to introduce this policy on an experimental basis. The Japanese Government shall make a final decision in this regard only after reviewing the outcomes, especially the change in birth rate. If there is a change in the number of women having children, Tokyo would think about the next steps.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das