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In response to the birth rate crisis, Tokyo will implement a four-day workweek starting in 2025. The measure aims to encourage family formation and improve quality of life. The proposal is also resonating in Brazil, where discussions about reducing working hours are gaining ground. A global challenge for the future of work.
An entire country is rethinking its working model. The idea, bold and fraught with controversy, is not just about productivity or rest, but about something deeper: the survival of a nation.
At a critical moment in its history, Japan is seeking a solution that not only transforms the routines of workers, but also encourages families to grow again.
The plan is as unusual as it is urgent.
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At the heart of this change is the Tokyo metropolitan government's decision to reduce the working week to four days.
The measure, announced at the beginning of December, seeks to curb the birth rate crisis that is plaguing Japan.
With a steadily declining birth rate and an alarmingly aging population, Japanese authorities believe that providing more free time could help citizens focus on starting families.
An unprecedented demographic crisis
According to Reuters, Japan recorded its lowest number of births in recent history in 2023: just over 758 babies were born, representing a drop of 5,1% compared to the previous year.
At the same time, marriages also reached a negative record, with only 489,2 thousand unions formalized — the lowest rate in at least 90 years.
This alarming data raises a red alert: the country is at risk of suffering a population collapse.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said in a speech to the Metropolitan Assembly that the new policy aims to create “a future where both men and women can thrive.”
According to Koike, ensuring that women do not have to choose between career and motherhood is essential to reversing the current scenario.
“We will continue to review flexible working styles,” the governor said.
Reduction of working hours and other innovative measures
Tokyo Metropolitan Government employees are currently entitled to an extra day off every four weeks.
The new rule, scheduled for April 2025, will turn this break into a fixed weekly day.
According to the Japan Times, the plan also includes an option for parents with young children: exchanging part of their salary for the possibility of leaving work early.
These measures, while bold, are a desperate attempt to turn around a worrying trend.
According to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Japan's population could shrink by about 30% by 2070, to 87 million people.
In this scenario, four out of ten Japanese will be 65 or older.
A reality that echoes in Brazil
Although it may seem distant, Japan's demographic dilemma offers a preview of what could happen in Brazil.
According to the IBGE, the elderly population is also expected to become the majority by 2070, with almost 40% of Brazilians over 65 years old.
This prediction highlights the importance of discussing policies that balance productivity and well-being.
Here, similar proposals have gained attention.
According to a report in the newspaper O Globo, deputy Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP) presented a project that suggests the adoption of a four-day workweek.
The idea seeks to amend Article 7 of the Constitution and is in line with global trends towards flexible working conditions.
Experts point out that reducing weekly working hours can reduce stress and improve workers' quality of life.
“Now is the time for Tokyo to take the lead in protecting and improving the lives, livelihoods and economy of our people during these challenging times,” said Yuriko Koike.
The challenge is global
While Tokyo's plan is viewed with optimism, it is not without its challenges.
Economists warn that the transition to reduced working weeks could affect productive sectors and generate resistance from companies.
Furthermore, changing deeply ingrained cultural behaviors is a complex task.
On the other hand, as global studies show, adopting shorter working hours can increase efficiency and employee satisfaction.
Experiences in countries such as Iceland and New Zealand have shown that happier workers are also more productive.
With the future of Japanese society at stake, it remains to be seen whether these initiatives will be enough to reverse the demographic crisis and inspire other nations to rethink their work models.
What do you think about the idea of a four-day workweek? Would it be possible to implement something like this in Brazil? Leave your opinion in the comments!
The more children, the more salary to educate them? Leave earlier and earn less to support the children?
In fact, having children nowadays is a 35-year financing (the current generation is childish and at 35 they will have the brains of a 12-year-old in the future), and this is clearly seen in our country, so it is practically a sentence of poverty and slavery for parents who do not have to support them. For the **** left-wing government that we have, it is great for each family to have 10 children, votes and not cheap labor, everything they need... and Give misery to the people full of children to support...
Women in Brazil only want to earn money and do not want to have children.