This initiative is aimed at promoting work-life balance and encouraging higher birth rates, particularly as Japan faces a declining population and ageing society. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike announced the policy as part of broader reforms to support working parents and modernize employment practices in the face of long-standing gender inequality and falling fertility rates.
Alongside the shorter workweek, the government has also launched a “childcare partial leave” scheme. Under this policy, working parents can reduce their daily working hours by two, offering greater flexibility in managing childcare responsibilities. Koike emphasized that the initiative was designed to ensure women do not have to choose between professional growth and family life, a trade-off many Japanese women have been forced to make due to limited support structures.
Japan’s fertility rate has been on a steady decline, reaching just 1.2 children per woman nationally, and an even lower 0.99 in Tokyo—well below the replacement rate of 2.1. The first half of 2024 saw only 350,074 births nationwide, a 5.7% drop from the previous year. Despite decades of attempts through subsidies, parental leave, and financial incentives, existing policies have failed to reverse this trend. One significant reason cited is the unequal division of domestic labour, with women in Japan undertaking five times more unpaid household duties than men.
The Tokyo government hopes that reduced working hours will lead to more equitable sharing of domestic responsibilities. International studies suggest that men are more likely to participate in household and childcare tasks under a four-day workweek. While experts welcome the initiative, they caution that its success depends on sector-specific implementation and cultural acceptance. As Tokyo takes this step, it may serve as a model for other regions in Japan grappling with similar demographic and social challenges.
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