Tokyo launches short week to combat falling birth rates

The metropolitan government of Tokyo is launching the short week to combat the winter demographic. The governing body of the Japanese metropolis will allow its staff to work four days a week in what is intended as a radical experiment to try to reverse Japan's low birth rate.

The programme, under the banner of the 'four-on, three-off' principle aiming at work-life balance, comes as Japan's population is heading towards the 16th consecutive year of demographic decline.

The Tokyo government project, which will start in April 2025, allows employees to change their working hours to completely free up one day of their choice each week. The initiative aims to accommodate the 160,000 employees of the municipal government whose jurisdiction oversees the lives of 12.5 million people. The short week experiment follows similar programmes of local governments in prefectures and cities throughout Japan.

And it doesn't stop there. In fact, the Tokyo metropolitan government is also aiming to make kindergartens free of charge for all pre-school children as of September, according to the city's governor, Yuriko Koike, explaining that the decision aims to reduce the financial burden on families by extending the free childcare policy to second and subsequent children.