Tokyo to propose 4-day work week for government staff in ‘quiet emergency’ parenthood push

PM Shigeru Ishiba has called Japan ’s stubbornly low birth rate a ‘quiet emergency and has pledged policies like flexible working hours

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A family at Tokyo’s Shibuya Sky. While many developed countries are struggling with low birth rates, the problem is particularly acute in Japan where the population has declined for 15 straight years. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:50pm, 4 Dec 2024

Tokyo’s governor wants to introduce a four-day work week for government staffers in the capital as part of a nationwide push to encourage parenthood.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has called Japan’s stubbornly low birth rate a “quiet emergency” and has pledged policies like flexible working hours.

The expectation that working mothers should still shoulder domestic burdens, raise children and care for relatives is believed to be a key factor behind the dearth of babies.

To make work-life balance easier for parents, Governor Yuriko Koike wants to offer civil servants employed by the Tokyo metropolitan government the option to work a truncated week beginning in April.

A mother and a child in Tokyo’s Shinjuku park. Japan has the world’s second-oldest population after Monaco. Photo: AFP

“Lagging behind in women’s empowerment is Japan’s long-standing issue, and overcoming the status quo and making society more diverse and prosperous is key for our bright future,” she said in a policy speech to the assembly.

“We will start with thorough support for work-life balance by introducing a more flexible working hour system, such as three holidays per week,” she added.