Japan to relax overtime regulation under workaholic PM

Japan is set to ease overtime regulations starting Tuesday, a move aimed at boosting economic growth but criticized as a return to the country's well-known workaholic culture. The change comes after the government, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has admitted to being a workaholic herself, adopted a growth strategy in July that calls for revisions to the current oversight of work hours.

This shift is partly in response to calls from certain business sectors for more flexible work styles as they struggle with a deepening labor shortage.

Approximately 40% of businesses in Japan operate under specific labor-management agreements that legally permit monthly overtime of up to 100 hours, according to the labor ministry. However, those companies were still advised by authorities to cap overtime at 45 hours per month, a guideline considered equivalent to regulation. This is because exceeding the 45-hour threshold can pose risks for "karoshi," or deaths from overwork, as acknowledged by a labor ministry official to AFP.

Effective from Tuesday, labour standards inspection offices will be responsible for enforcing the new rule, marking a shift in how overtime is controlled in the country.