• Japan may soon adopt a four-day workweek

• However, the prime minister maintains an intense work schedule that sparks controversy

While Japan plans to implement a four-day workweek to combat "death from overwork," known as karoshi, the new prime minister is taking a very different approach.

Tokyo officials hope that reducing workdays will ease extreme workplace pressures and decrease burnout and stress, especially amid falling birthrates and rising employee fatigue.

Many see the move not as a perk but as a necessity for the survival of Japan’s economy.

However, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stirred controversy this month by summoning staff to a 3 a.m. meeting—not for a national crisis but to prepare for her parliamentary appearance.

Although she acknowledged that the early meeting caused "inconvenience" to staff, she defended it as necessary to answer lawmakers’ questions.

Takaichi had previously declared that she would abandon the concept of "work-life balance" for herself, stating she would "work nonstop."

Reports indicate that she sleeps only two hours a night, sometimes up to four, which she admitted might be "bad" for her skin.

Nonetheless, Takaichi supports reforms that protect worker health, even if she does not serve as a personal example.

She said, "If we can create an environment where people can balance childcare and eldercare according to their wishes, while working, enjoying leisure, and relaxing, that would be ideal."

Japan recorded historically low birthrates in the first half of this year, with around 339,000 births—about 10,000 fewer than the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Health and Labor.

Declining birthrates pose a significant threat, especially to sectors dependent on domestic consumption.

Proponents of the four-day workweek argue it could help reverse the trend by giving parents more time for family and household responsibilities.

IMF data shows that half of Japanese women with fewer children cited the increased household workload as a reason for limiting family size.

Studies also suggest shorter workweeks can promote fairness in household labor; a four-day workweek trial across six countries found men spent 22% more time on childcare and 23% more on housework.

With AI transforming workplaces, experts expect reduced work schedules to arrive sooner than anticipated.