How the coronavirus pandemic is affecting Japan's workforce?
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Japan has been facing backlash for its refusal to declare an emergency. Thus far, the nation of 127 million has reported over 2,600 cases and 63 deaths. However, it has conducted mere 34,508 tests for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). As public calls for an emergency grow, many in Japan continue to commute to work, threatening a rise in cases.
A February survey by Keidanren, a business lobby representing about 400 major firms, found that 70% of the companies had either implemented teleworking (work from home) or were planning on it. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged the city's 13.5 million residents to telework till April 12 if possible. However, it is still legal for companies to continue operations from their offices.
According to CNN, employees continue to commute to Tokyo where the subway trains remain busy during rush hour. The problem lies in the fact that 80% of companies across Japan do not have the ability to telework, according to 2019 government data.
A business consultant at Japan Intercultural Consulting, Rochelle Kopp, told CNN that Japanese companies have not supplied employees with laptops. Kopp said the firms also do not have remote access to servers, i.e., things can only be accessed in person at the office. Many firms still require employees to stamp printed documents with the official hanko seals, often by several people, The Guardian reported.
Japanese Teleworking Association spokesperson Misaki Togoshi said the Ministry of Labor is offering grants up to $77,000 to small and medium-sized companies to facilitate teleworking. However, the funding is finite and most older employees are not tech-savvy.
According to Japan's Bureau of Statistics, over 70% of Japan's workforce was employed in the service sector in 2019. Meiji University Economics Professor Hisakazu Kato told CNN that for service industry workers, it is near impossible to telework. A massage therapist in Tokyo, Haru, told the publication that the government has not specified how it would support businesses affected by the pandemic.
Haru told CNN, "I'm anxious as the number of cases keeps going up in Tokyo and I want to stay at home. But I feel conflicted." Haru added, "The government has only told people to avoid public gatherings and that has meant fewer customers for us. But the government hasn't specifically said how they would support businesses teetering on the edge."
Reportedly, many government employees are also going to their offices. However, the government has staggered the arrival timings of the staff and some are even teleworking. Tokyo Metropolitan Government workers, who are working to fight the coronavirus pandemic, are also going to the office.
However, perhaps the biggest problem at hand is Japan's extreme work culture, evidenced by how stress-related deaths due to over-working have a name: karoshi (death by overwork). An economist at the Mizuho research institute, Haruka Kazama, told The Guardian, "The Japanese still have this image that telework is not 'real work' because you are not physically in the office."
Meanwhile, those who have been allowed to telework have started warming up to the idea. Hideya Tokiyoshi (52), an English-language teacher, used to travel from Saitama to Tokyo every day for work. He said the common perception was that people who telework cannot focus on their jobs, adding, "Now people have realized they can do a lot of things from home."
Tokiyoshi tweeted recently, "For (the) average Japanese, work is always the highest priority and the biggest excuse. Unless (the) government shuts all businesses down with a few exemptions, no one will stay at home. We're slaves to work.
Mariko Kitano—who works at a TV production company—said teleworking has enabled her to meet deadlines, take breaks, and wrap up chores. A Tokyo start-up employee, Yuki Sato, has also started teleworking recently. Sato, who used never used to reach home before 8 pm, said he has been able to focus on his two children. "This experience has completely changed my image of teleworking."
