Tokyo embraces four-day work week starting April 2025
TOKYO, JAPAN — The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is modernizing Japan’s work culture by implementing a four-day workweek system for its employees starting April 2025, aiming to empower women and address labor shortages.
Work-life balance initiative
Governor Yuriko Koike outlined the policy during a speech at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, emphasizing the importance of flexible work arrangements for employees balancing careers and life events like childbirth and childcare.
“Empowering women, a goal that has lagged far behind the rest of the world, has been a long-standing issue in our country,” Koike said.
The new system will revise the current flextime arrangement, allowing employees to work four days a week with three days off, instead of the current system that provides one extra day off every four weeks.
Enhanced support for parents
A new “child care partial leave” system will be introduced, enabling workers to reduce their working hours by up to two hours per day. This aligns with recent national legislation requiring companies to offer flexible work options for employees with young children.
Regional momentum
The capital’s initiative follows similar moves across Japan. Miyagi Prefecture plans to extend its four-day workweek option to all prefectural employees by fiscal 2026, while Ibaraki Prefecture introduced a selective four-day workweek in April for most employees.
Chiba Prefecture and the city of Kuji in Iwate Prefecture have also implemented similar policies.
Slow adoption despite government support
The Japanese government first supported shorter workweeks in 2021, but the concept has been slow to gain traction. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, only 8% of companies currently offer three or more days off per week. Many employees are hesitant to adopt the new system, with pressures to conform and fear of losing income holding them back.
Even Panasonic, which offers the option to its 63,000 employees, has seen only 150 workers take up the four-day workweek. This reflects the deep-rooted societal expectations that prioritize loyalty and long hours.
The country even has the term “karoshi,” which means “death from overwork.” A recent government white paper reported at least 54 such fatalities annually.
However, there are signs of change. Some major companies, including Fast Retailing Co. (owner of Uniqlo), Shionogi & Co., and Hitachi, have begun offering four-day workweek options. Even in the demanding finance industry, firms like SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. and Mizuho Financial Group have introduced flexible scheduling.
Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, most companies participating in a six-month trial of a four-day workweek in 2022 have made it permanent, according to the think tank Autonomy.
The companies involved spanned a range of industries, including marketing/advertising, arts/entertainment, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, social work, architecture, and professional services, among others.
Aside from the UK, Germany also launched a major six-month trial of a four-day workweek across 45 companies, allowing employees to work one less day per week on full pay.
Although no country has fully adopted a four-day workweek, some are experimenting with the arrangement, including the United States, and Australia, among others, according to 4dayweek.io.
