Tokyo Mulls 4-Day Workweek for Municipal Employees
The initiative, disclosed earlier this month by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, allowed municipal employees to utilize a flexible working hours system that caters to their individual needs.
Using a flextime system, eligible employees, excluding those in part-time or fiscal-year-based positions, will be able to take an additional weekday off each week.
Currently, employees working 155 hours over a four-week period can take one extra weekday off during that period. Under the new system, total required working hours will remain the same, but employees will be allowed to take an additional day off within a single week.
Similar systems have already been implemented in other regions this year, including Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures, with Chiba reporting that 150 employees had taken advantage of the system by Nov. 1.
Governor Koike emphasized the need for reforms that allow women to continue their careers through life events such as childbirth and parenting. The initiative also aims to set an example for Tokyo-based businesses to adopt similar measures.
The move came as the number of births in Japan in 2024 was likely to fall under 700,000 for the first time as data showed that the figure in the first half fell 6.3 percent from a year earlier to 329,998.
The proposal has sparked mixed reactions as supporters highlight benefits like work-life balance while critics express skepticism about its practicality, especially in the current economic climate.
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