Posted on 11/17/2025 5:59:45 PM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
When it comes to the future of work, Japan is caught in a tug-of-war.
Tokyo officials are pushing for a four-day workweek, hoping a shorter schedule will ease the nation’s notoriously punishing work culture and curb “karoshi”—which translates to death from overwork. With birthrates falling and burnout rising, many see the shift not as a perk, but a necessity for Japan’s economic survival.
But the country’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is signaling a very different approach. The 64-year-old drew scrutiny this month for summoning staff to a meeting at 3 a.m.—not for a national security crisis, but simply to get a jump on her appearance before parliament.
While she later acknowledged the early start “caused inconvenience” to her staff, she defended the action as necessary to address lawmakers’ questions, according to The New York Times. But it’s not the first time Takaichi has indicated her comfort with an intense work cadence.
After being elected, Takaichi said she planned to “discard the term ‘work-life balance’ for myself. I will work, work, work, work, and work.” In practice, that means Takaichi reportedly sleeps about only two hours a night—sometimes up to four—a habit she admitted to lawmakers is probably “bad” for her skin.
Still, even as Japan pushes to spur economic growth while easing workplace pressures, Takaichi insists she supports policy changes that protect workers’ health—even if she wasn’t leading by example. “Indeed, if we can create a situation where people can properly balance childcare and caregiving responsibilities according to their wishes, and also being able to work, enjoy leisure time, and relax—that would be ideal,” Takaichi said, according to AFP.
(Excerpt) Read more at fortune.com ...
In the US “death by overwork” is a laugh line.
Porn addiction, texting addiction, buying things on Amazon, ebay and various stores online, scrolling clickbait on phones, taking off for a snack, pretending to be working but really just staring at the screen (Office Space scene).
A few years ago the Thanksgiving time records for online bargain shopping were not on the weekends, but for Monday “when employees could get back to the workplace and use the new high speed internet they couldn’t afford at home.”
Dated story as high speed internet became nearly universal a couple of years later.
I wish I could have worked from home for three days a week for the same salary. I would have an hour a day staring at a license plate in front of me.
Four tens are the best.
“Death by overwork? Gimme a break…Or am I missing something?
We had an Intel Japan employee working with us back in ‘96.
I felt sorry for how hard he had to work in Japan.
We worked very hard but his days were insane.
It’s a phenomenon that’s afflicted Japan’s work culture for decades: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karoshi
That’s a Bee headline, if I ever saw one
Four tens cut office HVAC (and commuting costs) by 20%.
Most effective cost savings are attained by alternating Monday-Thursday workweeks with Tuesday-Friday workweeks.
Every other weekend is a “long weekend” and allows for deeper setbacks on office building HVAC.
Public school systems could enjoy immediate 20% savings in “ancillary services” of bus transportation and cafeteria expenses.
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