In a landmark move to combat Japan’s worsening demographic crisis, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has introduced a four-day workweek for its employees, alongside reduced working hours for parents. The initiative aims to improve work-life balance and encourage higher birth rates as the country grapples with a shrinking population and an ageing society.

Governor Yuriko Koike, speaking at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, announced the reforms as part of a broader strategy to support working families and ease the pressures faced by parents—especially women—in balancing career and caregiving responsibilities.

“We will continue to review work styles flexibly to ensure that women do not have to sacrifice their careers due to life events such as childbirth or child-rearing,” Koike stated.

In addition to the shorter workweek, the government has unveiled a “childcare partial leave” scheme that allows working parents to reduce their daily hours by up to two hours. The policy is designed to offer more flexibility in managing childcare and domestic responsibilities, which remain disproportionately shouldered by women in Japan.

Japan has long struggled with a declining fertility rate. Between January and June 2024, only 350,074 births were recorded—down 5.7% from the same period in 2023. The national fertility rate now stands at just 1.2 children per woman, well below the 2.1 needed to sustain population levels. Tokyo’s numbers are even more alarming, with a fertility rate of only 0.99.

Despite decades of parental leave policies, childcare subsidies, and financial incentives, the country has failed to reverse this trend. Experts suggest that the root of the issue lies in the deeply embedded gender imbalance in household labour. According to the International Monetary Fund, Japanese women spend five times more hours on unpaid domestic duties than men, a statistic that includes both childcare and eldercare.

Tokyo’s latest initiative hopes to shift this dynamic. By reducing the standard workweek and allowing for flexible working hours, the government aims to foster a more equitable distribution of unpaid work at home. Studies from other nations trialling four-day workweeks show promising results—men spent 22% more time on childcare and 23% more on housework during reduced-hour workweeks.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government hopes this will ease the dual burden many women face and help them continue pursuing their careers while raising families. In turn, this could create a more supportive environment for child-rearing and potentially influence couples' decisions around expanding their families.

However, not everyone is convinced that the four-day model is a silver bullet. Julia Hobsbawm, founder of workplace consultancy Workathon, cautioned against treating the policy as a universal solution. “I firmly believe that there is no one-size-fits-all,” she said, noting that the success of such initiatives depends on sector-specific realities and cultural contexts.

Still, Tokyo’s reforms mark a significant shift in Japan’s approach to its demographic challenges. As the capital leads by example, it remains to be seen whether other regions and the private sector will follow suit.