The Diet enacted a bill Friday that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says represents the biggest shake-up of the nation's labor laws in decades, ushering in a legally binding overtime cap and exempting skilled white-collar employees from work-time regulations.

The government has also claimed the reform, which includes an "equal work, equal pay" measure, will increase wages for non-regular workers — such as part-timers and temporary workers — while enabling more flexible work styles.

Ostensibly an attempt to slash overwork, the comprehensive legal package has, however, drawn fierce criticism from opposition lawmakers that it will do the exact opposite, by exacerbating Japan's deeply ingrained problem of karōshi (death from overwork).