Japan Govt Begins Talks on Easing of Work Hour Regulations

Tokyo, Dec. 25 (Jiji Press)–Members of the Japanese government’s regulatory reform promotion council have agreed to discuss six areas, including a possible easing of work hour regulations, advocated by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, on a priority basis. At a meeting of the council Wednesday, Takaichi called on its members to “consider ways to promote highly productive and flexible work styles, including by taking the voices of workers into account.” It was the council’s first meeting under Takaichi, who took office in October. The council, chaired by Tetsuro Tomita, adviser at East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, plans to draw up an interim report next month and finalize its proposals in May. With five years having passed since the enforcement of work style reform-related legislation, including the introduction of a cap on overtime, the labor ministry is conducting a survey of companies and employees about the current situation regarding overtime hours, among other items. Based on the results of the survey, the council will work with the Headquarters for Japan’s Growth Strategy, which was set up under the initiative of Takaichi, to deepen discussions on the advisability of easing work hour regulations. The other five priority areas are the use of artificial intelligence in the medical field, the promotion of large-scale farmland and plant factories, the use of medical databases, the review of regulations on radio wave use and the effective use of land plots whose owners are unknown, and the promotion of investment in startups. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]