Multiple different cases have been made for shorter workweeks across the globe, but Tokyo’s 4-day workweek strategy is slightly different. Japan is in the midst of a population crisis, with a declining birthrate and an aging population that may not be able to support itself in the years to come. In order to address Japan’s declining birth rate, the country is experimenting with a new work policy that could give workers more leisure time to spend on themselves and consider the possibility of starting a family.
The Japanese population, while known for being among the most polite and principled individuals across borders, is also known for being extremely overworked. Japan has evidently narrowed down on its work-life balance as one of the reasons for the declining birthrate. Tokyo’s reasons for exploring a 4-day workweek may not be a prime consideration for other nations, but it does suggest that there’s a connection between good quality of life and reduced working hours, which is the primary justification for switching to a shorter workweek.
The Tokyo 4-day workweek experiment brings attention to the importance of a work-life balance. (Image: Pexels)
Tokyo’s 4-Day Workweek Is a Strong Point in Favor of Shorter Workweeks
Japan’s approach to its birth rate and work policy began in its largest city, Tokyo, and the shift was put into effect in April. The Tokyo Metropolitan government announced that it would start allowing its employees to work 4-day workweeks to give workers some of their time back for themselves. Along with this shift, it is also exploring a partial leave policy for childcare, allowing some of its workers to cut down their daily work time by two hours.
These generous changes have a clear goal—Japan wants to address its population crisis by making adjustments to the workweek, among other things. How will a shorter workweek help? There are many different ways in which the shift might be impactful.
How Will Japan’s Work-Life Balance Policy Help with the Birthrate?
In 2025, the average employee will have a much harder time making a decent income and affording themselves a comfortable life compared to workers in the past. Most employees are overworked and entirely drained at the end of the day, and the thought of adding child-rearing into the mix is unfathomable for many. Dual-income-no-kid (DINK) households seem to have the best quality of life, where the money they earn can be spent on their own interests. Similarly, their free time is their own to enjoy.
Under such circumstances, there is little reason to consider having a child and starting a family. With Tokyo’s 4-day workweek, employees with more time could spend more energy on recuperating from work and planning ahead for their future of their family.
Additionally, many women no longer want to have children because it often means that they have to give up on their careers. Forced to choose between earning a living and having a child—which will come with unpaid labor—many are choosing to focus on their careers. The childcare partial leave could allow women to care for their families without having to give up on their careers, which could motivate them to eventually have children.
What Can We Learn from Japan’s Emphasis on Shorter Workweeks?
Japan’s declining birthrate might be among the most concerning right now, but it isn’t the only region that has witnessed such a decline over the years. From South Korea to the US, birth rates are declining across the globe. Pro-natalists have been pushing to force women into having more children, and while that’s a capitalist strategy at its core, forced child-rearing is not healthy for anyone.
While Tokyo’s 4-day workweek could be duplicated in other regions to help grow the population, merely an extra day off will not solve the population crisis. Many changes need to be introduced, from improved health care systems to shifting attitudes towards women in the workplace, before the problem can be fixed.
That aside, Japan’s focus on work-life balance as a pathway to other quality-of-life improvements is one worth exploring. Even countries that aren’t worried about the birth rate can look to the results of Japan’s experimentation with shorter workweeks to see if there are genuine benefits to making that switch globally. While an initial adjustment period is inevitable, if done right, there are innumerable benefits to switching to a 4-day workweek and prioritizing employees’ well-being correctly.
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