In a bold move to encourage young families and address Japan’s historically low fertility rate, the Tokyo government has announced that its employees will be allowed a four-day workweek starting in April. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike revealed this initiative in her policy speech at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, stating that it will provide more flexibility for workers to balance career and family life.
The policy comes as Japan faces a serious demographic challenge. The fertility rate dropped to 1.2 children per woman in 2023, far below the replacement rate of 2.1, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. This decline, despite several government incentives, has sparked concerns about the country’s future population growth. To address this, the Tokyo government is making efforts to encourage couples to have children by offering more flexible work options.
Governor Koike emphasized that the new policy would allow workers to have three days off each week. The initiative is designed to ensure that no one has to choose between their career and major life events like childbirth or childcare. Additionally, a new policy will allow parents of primary school-aged children to exchange a portion of their pay to leave work early, providing more time for family responsibilities.
The number of births in Japan fell to just 727,277 in the previous year, raising alarms about the sustainability of the nation’s population. The long-standing culture of overtime work in Japan has led to many women leaving the workforce or delaying childbirth, as they face a difficult choice between career and family. According to the World Bank, labor force participation was significantly lower among women, with a 17% gap compared to men.
The new four-day workweek aims to provide a better work-life balance, especially for working parents, particularly women. In addition, the government plans to introduce a mechanism that allows parents with young children to shorten their working hours by up to two hours daily. The initiative will benefit more than 160,000 Tokyo Metropolitan Government employees, who will now have Fridays off, improving their overall quality of life.
The policy follows the success of a global four-day workweek trial conducted in 2022. The trial, organized by 4 Day Week Global, saw over 90% of participants expressing a desire to continue with the four-day workweek due to its positive impact on their happiness, mental health, and work-life balance. Participants reported a significant reduction in stress, burnout, and fatigue, and rated their experience 9.1 out of 10.
