As part of efforts to stem the nation's depopulation, a guide to promoting a better work and family life balance among workers was recently adopted by a special government panel.
But Tsuyoshi Takagi, president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo), warned that for such a concept to take root, thorough discussions must be held at the household level as well as tween corporate management and workers.
The concept of striking a work-life balance has spread widely in the United States and Europe since the 1980s, according to the government-affiliated Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training.