Tokyo government to implement four-day work week to support families and address low fertility rates

The Tokyo government plans to introduce a four-day work week for its employees in an attempt to support young families and boost record-low fertility rates nationwide.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike announced that starting in April, employees of the metropolitan government will have the option to take three days off each week.

“We will review work styles … with flexibility, ensuring no one has to give up their career due to life events such as childbirth or childcare,” she said during a policy speech at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly’s fourth regular session.

The new policy is designed to encourage Japanese couples to have children at a time when the country’s fertility rate is at a record low.

Last year, it dipped to a mere 1.2 children expected per woman during her lifetime, even with the government’s increased efforts to motivate young people to start families, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

That number should be at least 2.1 for a population to remain stable.

Koike unveiled an additional policy allowing parents with children in primary schools to trade off a bit of their salary for the option to clock out early.

“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,” she said.

Only 727,277 births were recorded last year in Japan, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. This may be in part because of Japan’s overtime work culture, which often pressures women to choose between having a career or a family. After all, the gender gap in the country’s labour force participation is higher than in other high-income nations, standing at 55 per cent for women and 72 per cent for men last year, according to the World Bank.

However, the implementation of a four-day work week may provide government employees with more time to dedicate to raising their families.

In a 2022 series of global trials coordinated by 4 Day Week Global, a nonprofit organisation, various companies took part in a four-day work week pilot program.

More than nine out of ten employees who participated in those trials wanted to continue with the four-day work week. They reported that it gave them improved physical and mental health, work-life balance and increased general life satisfaction. Measures of their stress, burnout, fatigue and work-family conflict all declined. These participants rated their experience 9.1 out of 10.

Earlier this year, another Asian country put a shortened work week to the test.

Singapore introduced new guidelines requiring all firms to consider employee requests for flexible working arrangements, including four-day work weeks or staggered hours.