Tokyo (AFP) – Japan will ease overtime regulation starting Tuesday in a move meant to help spur economic growth, but it is being criticized as a relapse into the country’s ingrained workaholic culture. The move comes after the government, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi—a self-proclaimed workaholic—adopted a growth strategy in July calling for revisions to the current oversight of work hours.
The change reflects calls from certain business sectors for more flexible work styles as they grapple with a deepening labor shortage. Roughly 40 percent of businesses in Japan are operating under specific labor-management agreements that legally allow monthly overtime of up to 100 hours, according to the labor ministry. However, those companies were still advised by authorities to cap overtime at 45 hours each month, with that guidance considered on par with regulation. This limitation was put in place because exceeding that threshold can increase risks for so-called “karoshi,” or deaths from overwork, a labor ministry official told AFP.
Under the new rule that took effect Tuesday, labor standards inspection offices will no longer pressure businesses over the 45-hour limit. A Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry survey conducted in May showed that this pressure was “restricting” the activity of around 20 percent of Japan’s small and mid-sized businesses, especially in short-staffed industries such as construction, transport, and hospitality. Critics, however, have said the move reverses steps taken by Japan to modernize its corporate culture, which has long centered around marathon work hours.
Once a bastion for “corporate warriors” fiercely devoted to their jobs, the country has in recent years ratcheted up efforts toward a better work-life balance, especially following the 2015 suicide of an exhausted 24-year-old employee at the advertising giant Dentsu. “This is an unacceptable shift away from, and abolition of, the policy that urged companies to shorten work hours,” the National Confederation of Trade Unions in Tokyo, commonly known as Zenroren, stated in a statement.
The possible shift toward more work aligns with Takaichi’s approach, as she declared she “shall work, work, work, work and work” when elected as head of her conservative ruling party in October. In an X post widely derided for “showing off” her dedication to work, she mentioned in July that she has been chronically sleeping just “zero to three hours” as prime minister.
The labor ministry stresses that it will continue to monitor companies to ensure they take measures to protect the well-being of employees. It has indicated that it will “continue to provide the necessary guidance if there is a high risk that health problems caused by excessive work may arise.” Additionally, the policy shift does not affect all businesses in Japan; those without special labor-management agreements will remain legally obliged to keep monthly overtime to 45 hours or less. There are also some companies where going even a minute beyond the statutory working hours—typically eight hours a day, 40 hours a week—is illegal.
© 2024 AFP
