Working hours and japanese employment practices

It is a well known fact that the Japanese have long working hours throughout what we consider developed countries. Moreover, the already long working hours have further increased in recent years. This trend is more visible particularly among male workers between their late 20s and early 40s, the most productive years. The ratio of individuals working 60 hours or more a week in 1994 was 17%-19%, yet by 2004 it had jumped to 20%-24%. Incidentally, the working hours in this survey based on the Labor Force Survey (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare 2004, 2005) include unpaid overtime, since individual workers comprised the respondent base for the survey questionnaires. This paper introduces Japanese employment practices in relation to the various aspects of working hours.