Tokyo's Four-Day Workweek Initiative Aims to Boost Birth Rate by April 2025

Dec 15, 2024, 09:10 PM

Japan is grappling with a demographic crisis, as evidenced by new figures indicating that by 2050, 20% of its elderly population will live alone, prompting concerns over 'kodokushi' or lonely deaths. In response, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has introduced a four-day workweek for its employees starting in April 2025, aiming to improve work-life balance and encourage childbirth. This initiative is part of broader efforts to address Japan's record-low fertility rate, which has fallen to 1.2 children per woman, significantly below the replacement rate of 2.1. Tokyo's birth rate is even lower at 0.99. The government's strategy includes not only flexible work schedules but also cash incentives, tax breaks, and increased daycare facilities to boost the birth rate.