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No more overworked Japan? New figures show employees clock fewer hours

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by Julian RyallFebruary 23, 2026 at 01:00 AM
No more overworked Japan? New figures show employees clock fewer hours
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Recent Japanese government statistics indicate a decline in average working hours, with employees logging 1,654.2 hours in the 2024 financial year, lower than figures from the US, Canada, and Italy. This marks a decrease of 17.7 hours from the previous year and a significant drop from 1980, potentially reflecting government efforts to combat "karoshi" (death by overwork). While the numbers suggest progress, analysts caution against direct comparisons with other nations. Japan still lags behind countries like Germany and Denmark in terms of low average working hours. The data was released by the Cabinet Office in the past month.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context
Germany 40% Denmark 40% Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development 50% South Korea 50% Italy 60% Cabinet Office 60% Canada 60% United States 70% Japan ×490%

Keywords

working hours 100% japan 90% overwork 90% karoshi 70% employee 60% work-life balance 50% economic bubble 40% oecd 40%

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Positive
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Source
South China Morning Post
Classification Confidence
90%
Geographic Perspective
Japan

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