4-day week catching on among firms in changing Japan

According to The Asahi Shimbun, more of Japan’s biggest corporate names are moving toward introducing a four-day workweek, a notion that was once unthinkable in a country whose postwar prosperity was built on a work force willing to sacrifice home life for the good of the company.
The change, triggered partly by a growing labor shortage brought on by a rapidly aging population and dwindling birthrates as well as changing lifestyles and expectations, has the potential to rewrite the country’s work landscape. For one, it would widen the gap in days off between large and small companies.
Electronics giant Hitachi Ltd. is among a growing number of big companies introducing a four-day workweek. Initially, the policy will apply to around 15,000 employees.

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14615608