Reflections on Work Style Reform

“Work style reform” has been discussed for years, but it remains unclear whether it truly protects workers’ health and daily life. While long working hours are said to be under correction, overwork and sleep deprivation persist in many workplaces, seriously affecting both mind and body.

Even in extreme situations such as post–Great East Japan Earthquake reconstruction and responses to the nuclear accident, increased labor burdens have been linked to depression and suicide. This is not limited to exceptional cases, but reflects a structural issue within Japanese society.

Depression and suicide are closely related, with sleep disorders and chronic stress playing key roles. Long working hours and unstable employment further undermine people’s basic livelihood.

Against this backdrop, work style reform is not merely a policy issue, but a question of how society treats human beings. It requires rethinking the relationship between labor and health beyond productivity and efficiency.

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