Why Japan wants its citizens to try a 4-day workweek

The government launched a ‘work style reform’ campaign that promotes shorter hours and other flexible arrangements along with overtime limits and paid annual leave. Japan, a nation so hardworking its language has a term for literally working oneself to death, is trying to address a worrisome labor shortage by coaxing more people and companies to adopt four-day workweeks.The Japanese government first expressed support for a shorter working week in 2021, after lawmakers endorsed the idea. The concept has been slow to catch on, however; about 8% of companies in Japan allow employees to take three or more days off per week, while 7% give their workers the legally mandated one day off, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare.Hoping to produce more takers, especially among small and medium-size businesses, the government launched a “work style reform” campaign that promotes shorter hours and other flexible arrangements along with overtime limits and paid annual leave. The labor ministry recently started offering free consulting, grants, and a growing library of success stories as further motivation.“By realizing a society in which workers can choose from a variety of working styles based on their circumstances, we aim to create a virtuous cycle of growth and distribution and enable each and every worker to have a better outlook for the future,” states a ministry website about the hatarakikata kaikaku campaign, which translates to “innovating how we work.”The... Continue reading at 'Fast Company'

[ Fast Company | 2024-09-02 14:15:57 UTC ]
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Shafak to be LBF Author of the Day

Turkish writer Elif Shafak will be London Book Fair's Market Focus Author of the Day on... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst starts publishing iPad magazines days before print editions

Magazine publishers have more directly embraced tablets over more than a year as it became clearer that they were boosting the bottom line. We may be witnessing a watershed moment today, however. Hearst has started publishing issues for 22 of its magazines in the iOS Newsstand days before their... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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School libraries aim for world record on National Libraries Day

School libraries will be celebrating National Libraries Day with a Guinness World Record attempt... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple readies iBookstore in Japan, faces fine in China

Apple plans to have 80,000 titles for sale on its iBookstore in Japan within a month,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Twelve Book Trade Days of Christmas

For your holiday pleasure we offer our own version of The Twelve Days of Christmas, customized for the publishing business. Enjoy and happy holidays! Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day is celebrated at stores around the world

Founded by a writer and mother, Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day is set for Dec. 1 this year. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Elf On The Shelf Went From Family Tradition To The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

From self-publishing and selling out of the trunk of a car to millions of dollars in sales and a blue-sky spot in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the creators of Elf on the Shelf discuss how they packaged up a new American tradition. Innovators often have those “blue sky” moments, times where... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2012-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Kindle finally hits Japan

A marathon wait and one Herculean wrestling match with recalcitrant publishers later, the Kindle... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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National Libraries Day 2013 confirmed for 9th February

The third National Libraries Day will run on Saturday 9th February 2013. A proposal to shift... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime flaunts a monthly price tag, now offers streaming and two day shipping for $7.99 per month

Amazon Prime's trifecta of two-day shipping, instant media streaming and monthly Kindle book rentals just became a little more consumer friendly at a slightly higher price. As a Hacking Netflix reader recently noticed, Amazon is now inviting users to buy into Prime for $7.99 a month, bringing... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In Japan, Kindle May Finally Push Publishers Into E-books

Like Kobo, Amazon's Japan ebookstore is hampered by limited title selection, but the recent launch will motivate publishers to finally digitize their catalogs. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon confirms Japan Kindle launch

Amazon will open a Kindle store in Japan next month, selling Japanese language Kindle e-readers... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Day sequel is Penguin's top ebook weekly sale

An erotic novel has become Penguin's most successful ever ebook in terms of weekly sales,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Casual Vacancy first-day sales 'exceeding expectations'

First-day sales of The Casual Vacancy are "exceeding expectations," according to the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google upstages Amazon with Japan Nexus launch

Hints at a Kindle launch for Japan in October have been upstaged by Google’s sudden... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Play Books app arrives in Japan, adds translation, place info, highlighting and more

Not content at stopping with its recent European tour, Google Play Books has made the trip to Japan and brought back a handful of new features. In addition to support for reading Japanese books in a vertical, right-to left layout, Mountain view now lets users tap on names of geographical spots... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Day 2013 titles announced

Books by Francesca Simon, Anthony Horowitz, Shirley Hughes and Lauren Child will be included in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'No Easy Day' is a compelling account of Bin Laden's assassination: Book Review

This brisk first-person account by a Navy SEAL is an important historical work, though it, like the mission itself, is not flawless. No Easy Day Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Navy SEAL wrote 'No Easy Day' after being pushed out of SEAL Team 6

A group of Special Ops veterans released its own ebook, 'No Easy Op,' suggesting 'No Easy Day' author Matt Bissonnette wrote his book in part due to ‘bad blood’ with his former unit. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EU-Japan deal may cut red tape, boost IP protection

European publishers are looking into the opportunities a free trade agreement between the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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