Tokyo believes that encouraging family time and providing opportunities for family planning will positively impact the low birthrate and address challenges associated with having one of the world’s oldest populations.

Since Tokyo has Japan’s largest workforce, the programme aims to ease the burden on women and promote greater birth rates.

To assist parents, the new system also permits employees to take two hours off from work for partial childcare leave.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan’s birth rate has been going down for eight consecutive years. In the initial six months of 2024, the country recorded only 350,000 births—a 5.7 per cent decrease compared to the same period last year. The fertility rate in Tokyo has dropped to a record low of 0.99 children per woman, significantly below the 2.1 rate needed to sustain the population.

Ninety-two per cent of companies experimenting 4-day workweek plan to continue it permanently. Studies on shorter workweeks have shown positive outcomes. This trend indicates a growing recognition of the model’s advantages.

Twenty-three countries worldwide have adopted the four-day/four-and-a-half-day work week, including Australia, Germany, Spain and India.