Long Working Hours in Japan

This article addresses the current status of long working hours in Japan and suggests topics for further research. First, an international comparison establishes Japan's position relative to other countries. While the number of people working long hours is high in Japan compared to other developed countries, it is high even when compared to underdeveloped countries. The article confirms that overtime hours are longer and the number of annual paid vacation days is low. It also indicates some topics for research on ways to alleviate excessively long working hours in Japan. The article touches upon overtime hours and the function of premium overtime pay, problems in measuring labor productivity, the impact of long working hours on the health of individuals, the effects of a performance-based system, a managerial/supervisorial issue, and consumer demand, indicating that problems in these areas need to be addressed in order to solve the problem of long working hours.