They have a word for death from overwork. Japanese government promotes four-day workweek

This is not the first time that Japanese authorities have expressed support for a shorter working week in 2021.

A four-day work week is offered to their employees by selected companies from the clothing, pharmaceutical, electronics and banking sectors.

Despite the health ministry's campaign, the Japanese don't seem interested, AP noted. At one Panasonic plant, where more than 63,000 employees are entitled to a four-day work week, only 150 decided to take advantage of it, it was reported.

It turns out that a lifestyle combining workaholism with stoicism and an emphasis on self-sacrifice for the employer is still popular in Japanese society. A recent government white paper on karoshi reports that at least 54 deaths are reported each year from these causes. The most common cause is heart attack.

Japanese authorities believe that shortening the workweek could help maintain a viable workforce despite falling birth rates. They believe that the three-day-off-a-week model could encourage Japanese people to stay in the workforce longer and postpone their decision to retire. retirementAccording to government data, the working-age population will fall by 40 percent from about 74 million today to about 45 million in 2065.

Critics of the government's actions say that in practice people working four-day weeks often work just as hard for much less pay.

According to the latest data from Gallup, only 6 percent of Japanese people report being engaged at work, compared with the global average of 23 percent. This means that relatively few Japanese workers felt very engaged and enthusiastic about their work, while most of them worked without passion or energy, AP explained.