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.
A shortened workweek could be just around the corner
Birth rates in Japan hit record lows earlier this year, when between January and June, the country recorded some 339,000 births—about 10,000 fewer than the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. Declining birthrates pose a major threat to consumer-facing industries in particular, which depend on growing demand.
Proponents of four-day workweeks say it could reverse the trend of declining birthrates by giving parents more time to raise families and share household responsibilities.
According to the IMF, half of Japanese women who have fewer children report they did so in part because of the increased housework that another child would bring. The shifts in work schedules can also boost housework equity, with a four-day workweek trial conducted across six countries by 4 Day Week Global finding men spent 22% more time on childcare and 23% more time on housework.
“The upside from [four-day workweek experiments] has been less stress, less burnout, better rest, better sleep, less cost to the employee, higher levels of focus and concentration during the working hours—and in some cases, greater commitment to the organization as a result,” Peter Miscovich, global future of work leader at real-estate services company JLL, previously told Fortune.
With artificial intelligence revolutionizing the workplace in its own regard, tech experts suggest reduced work schedules may arrive sooner than expected.
“What will jobs be like?” Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates questioned Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in February. “Should we just work like 2 or 3 days a week?”