Japan continues to grapple with work-life balance as new prime minister takes over

For decades, Japan has grappled with a culture of long working hours, leading to dissatisfaction, mental health issues, and a declining birth rate. Since at least 2018, the country has stepped up efforts to encourage better work-life balance.

But Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is raising concerns that the government may abandon efforts to help exhausted workers.

In early November, shortly after the election on October 21, Takaichi called a meeting with top aides at 3am, and later told reporters that she only sleeps two-to-four hours a night, DW news reported, prompting concerns from government officials and labor unions.

Takaichi has also called on Japan’s labor minister to look into how the government could ease overtime restrictions, according to DW. She believes relaxed regulations could help the country’s stalled economy grow. Keirdanren, the largest business lobbying group in Japan, said it would recommend fewer limits on overtime hours, according to NHK World.

“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 of allowing people to work more hours.

These statements are in stark contrast to the progress Japan has been working toward, including efforts to reduce deaths related to overwork (called karoshi), for which Japan is notorious.

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Labor advocates like Tomoko Yoshino, head of Japan’s largest union, Rengo, fear that employers are too focused on attendance over productivity, and that these changes could create the conditions for more employers to exploit workers. He recently told reporters that, “We are still only halfway in terms of bringing down ‘karoshi’ to zero and pushing for work-style reforms.”

Even with recent efforts to reduce workplace stress, incidents of karoshi rose by nearly 18% to a record 1,304 in 2024. Many companies expect employees to work long hours and spend leisure time with colleagues, leading some to turn to quiet quitting as a form of rebellion.

Roughly one year ago, the Japanese government announced increased efforts to help workers’ mental health and work-life balance by pushing employers to provide more flexible schedules and four-day workweeks, HR Brew previously reported. Tokyo, the country’s largest city, began offering a four-day workweek option to government employees this year.

Yuriko Koike, governor of Tokyo, announced the plan last fall, and told the city’s assembly that the city would work with employees to make sure life events don’t derail careers. “Now is the time for Tokyo to take the initiative to protect and enhance the lives, livelihoods, and economy of our people during these challenging times for the nation.”