第2317期:Japan Considers Four-day Work Weeks(1)

Japan is a nation so hardworking that the Japanese language has a term for working oneself to death. Now, the government is trying to deal with a labor shortage. 

日本是一个非常勤奋的民族，日语里有一个词是“拼命工作到死”的意思。现在，政府正在努力解决劳动力短缺的问题。 

One solution is to get more people and companies to accept four-day workweeks. The Japanese government first supported a shorter working week in 2021. Few companies have signed on, however. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said only about eight percent of companies permit three days off a week, while seven percent give their workers the required one day off. 

一种解决方案是让更多的人和公司接受每周四天的工作制。日本政府在 2021 年首次支持缩短每周工作时间。然而，很少有公司签署这一协议。厚生劳动省表示，只有约 8% 的公司允许每周休息 3 天，而 7% 的公司则为员工提供了一天所需的休息时间。

Hoping to get small and medium-sized businesses to change, the government started a "work style reform" campaign. It pushes shorter hours and other flexible plans for work along with paid time off and limits on overtime. The labor ministry recently started offering free services and resources to help companies make the change. 

为了让中小企业做出改变，政府发起了“工作方式改革”运动。它推动了更短的工作时间和其他灵活的工作计划，以及带薪休假和加班限制。劳动部最近开始提供免费服务和资源，帮助企业做出改变。

A ministry website explains the "hatarakikata kaikaku" campaign, which means "innovating how we work." It says that when workers can choose how they work, they will have a better outlook on the future and the economy will grow. 

部门网站解释了“hatarakikata kaikaku”活动，意思是“创新我们的工作方式”。它说，当工人可以选择自己的工作方式时，他们将对未来有更好的展望，经济也会增长。 

The department handling the new support services for businesses says only about three companies have asked for their advice. 

负责为企业提供新支持服务的部门表示，只有大约三家公司征求了他们的建议。 

Such changes will not come easily in the Japanese culture, where being a “workaholic,” or frequently working overtime, has long been highly valued. That is credited for the country’s national recovery and fast economic growth after World War II. 

在日本文化中，这种改变并不容易，因为“工作狂”或经常加班长期以来一直受到高度重视。这归功于二战后该国的国家复苏和经济快速增长。 

There is great pressure to be the same as the others in one’s work group. People usually take vacations at the same time of year as their co-workers. Although the law and labor agreements limit overtime, some work longer hours without pay. 

与工作组中的其他人保持一致会带来很大的压力。人们通常与同事在一年中的同一时间休假。尽管法律和劳动协议限制加班，但有些人却无薪工作更长的时间。

A recent government report dealt with "karoshi." That is the Japanese term meaning "death from overwork.” The report said Japan has at least 54 such deaths a year, including from heart attacks. 

最近的一份政府报告涉及“过劳死”。这是日语术语，意思是“过劳死”。报告称，日本每年至少有 54 例此类死亡，其中包括心脏病发作。

Tim Craig wrote a book called Cool Japan: Case Studies from Japan's Cultural and Creative Industries. 

蒂姆·克雷格写了一本名为《酷日本：日本文化创意产业案例研究》的书。 

"Work is a big deal here. It's not just a way to make money, although it is that, too," said Craig. 

“工作在这里很重要。它不仅仅是赚钱的一种方式，尽管它也是赚钱的一种方式，”克雷格说。 

Some officials think it is time to change that way of thinking to save the workforce. Japan's birth rate continues to fall, and the work culture is said to be one reason for that. 

一些官员认为是时候改变这种思维方式来拯救劳动力了。日本的出生率持续下降，据说工作文化是原因之一。