Japan's 4-day workweek? Leisure goal becomes business hurdle

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Business minds in Japan are seeking to generate the innovation that is nurtured by a flexible workforce.But, it seems that changing work habits – and hours – is easier to talk about than to implement, especially when it comes to a proposed 4-day workweek.

For the past several years, the government of Japan and leading Japan Business Federation "Keidanren" has encouraged workstyle reforms with an eye toward fostering family life and supporting falling population figures – all this with a strong potential for promoting innovation by reducing work hours.

The four-day workweek is one such approach that could gain popularity in Japan's workplaces.Shingo Ohata of the Tokyo-based workstyle consulting firm Work-Life Balance says his company is already giving the shortened workweek a go. "We've been testing this for a year now. The system is not only about working four days per week, but workers can also have flexibility and choose their work hours during the year."

Shingo Ohata, Work-Life Balance. /CGTN

Ohata explains that the reasons for a shortened workweek tend to fall into patterns, including caring for children or elderly relatives, or pursuit of personal projects such as Ohata's own Tokyo Olympics-related volunteer venture. However, the additional free time can also benefit employers.

"One pattern is your own input, a pattern of 'input for innovation.'The time can be used for study to acquire new skills," Ohata said.

But he admits that in a Japanese work culture frequently described as "hidebound," shifting workplace preconceptions may be the greatest hurdle. "Based on previous success, we think that increasing sales requires long hours, but we need to adapt to the new style of reduced working time. Companies that move past individual responsibilities for work functions can allow for a four-day workweek – or telework – but I think that's a major challenge for them," Ohata reflected.

While Japan's forward-looking business leaders advocate workstyles adapted to modern lifestyles, the success of the four-day workweek, or any other new labor approach, will likely depend most of all on the workers themselves.

CGTN

A quick sampling of opinions from some of Tokyo's workforce indicates that while they're ready for more free time, they have doubts about when – or if – a four-day workweek can really achieve popularity in Japan.

One female freelancer asserted, "Japanese businesses have no precedent for this, so they won't want to try it anytime soon."

Another young Tokyo resident said defiantly, "It absolutely won't work. I think there will surely end up being work left over that employees will have to do during their time off.”

A university student who works part-time said that managers like those at his job would be unlikely to break from tradition. "I think that businesses won't want to give time off, because they're not used to doing so," he said.

Finally, one hairdresser who asserted that he loves his job maintained that less work would also mean less money for everybody. "I don't think it will happen. The economy will get soft if everyone has so much time off."