Tokyo to propose four-day workweek for government staff

Tokyo: Tokyo s governor wants to introduce a four day workweek for government staffers in the capital as part of a nationwide push to encourage parent...

Tokyo: Tokyo's governor wants to introduce a four-day workweek 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.

"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.