'Premium Friday' got off to lukewarm start in 2017 with 11% participation: METI
The consumer spending campaign isn’t gaining much traction outside big cities, but the economy ministry and the private sector promise to forge on with more incentives.
Adjusted Premium Friday: Government eyes moving up campaign aimed at boosting fun and spending
Critics say effort to have workers go home early on the last Friday of each month clashes with busy period for many firms.
Stakes are high as Abe looks to labor reform in bid to boost economy
As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pushes for labor reforms, hopes are growing that it may alter the country's deep-rooted culture of overwork and nudge more workers toward striking the right work-life balance. The recent start of Premium Friday, an initiative led by the government and ...
Premium Friday is not about taking a holiday
The anonymous writer of Asahi Shimbun's finance-related Keizai Kishodai column pointed out in the Feb. 18 edition that Japanese people only think of time off on a day-by-day basis, whereas Europeans tend to conceptualize it in week-long blocks, as "vacations."
'Premium Friday' drive kicks off to energize weary workers, feeble economy
The government-backed "Premium Friday" campaign kicked off on Friday with around 130 participating firms across the country encouraging employees to leave work early on the last Friday of each month. The government launched the initiative to boost weak consumer spending as it struggles to halt ...
Variety of discounts, perks in works for 'Premium Friday' launch
Starting Friday, many workers in Japan, notorious for its culture of overwork, will have a chance to start the weekend early, albeit once a month, for a trip to an onsen (hot springs), a shopping spree or simply dining out with family and friends. The ...
Premium Friday campaign seeks to curb Japan's long work hours
The country that coined the word karoshi (death by overwork) wants companies to let workers finish early on the last Friday of every month so that they can go out and have fun.
