Japan’s government wants to eliminate the country’s notorously excessive overtime

World Today

The Japanese government has tightened regulations on overtime work in an attempt to rectify the notoriously long working hours at Japanese firms.

CCTV’s Terrence Terashima reports.

Japan’s got a culture of labor. On average, workers clock about 47 hours of overtime a month.

The Japanese government is considering placing upper limits to overtime. Some companies have succeeded in reducing overtime, and some introduced zero overtime policies.

The labor ministry set up a task force to eliminate excessive hours, and begun to crack down on employers that force their employees to perform excessive overtime. However, experts said Japanese companies also have to change their labor psychology, as many hesitate to go home when their colleagues are still working or have reservations in taking holidays, for fear of burdening their colleagues.


Eric Schiffer on achieving a work-life balance

For more on the Japanese government’s efforts to limit overtime, CCTV America’s Asieh Namdar spoke to Eric Schiffer, a global entrepreneur from Los Angeles.

This statistic shows the average working hours per year of workers in selected cities around the world in 2015. In 2015, average working hours in Hong Kong totaled to 2,606.

This statistic shows the average working hours per year of workers in selected cities around the world in 2015. In 2015, average working hours in Hong Kong totaled to 2,606.