Why Can’t Japanese Salarymen Take a Vacation? The Intriguing Culture Behind Unused Paid Leave

Hello everyone!

I’m Musashi_.

As you know, Japan is often called a nation of hard workers. Japanese people were very surprised when it was reported that the word “karoshi” (death from overwork) had made it into English dictionaries.

Because of this kind of situation, the Japanese way of thinking about holidays and paid vacation is unique compared to other countries. I’m going to try to unravel this issue bit by bit — stay tuned!

First, why do Japanese people work so much? There are a few reasons. One is the cultural virtue of working long hours. Japan was originally an agricultural society where getting up early and working hard was valued. That influence still remains strong today.

Another reason is the Japanese corporate system of lifetime employment and seniority-based promotion. This encourages people to stick with the same company long-term, resulting in set work habits.

Additionally, Japanese people tend to derive their sense of self-worth from their job. So they feel anxiety if they don’t have work to do. There is even a culture in Japan that ideals being a “workaholic”, which leads to long working hours.

Well then, why do people feel guilty about taking paid vacation? This is another phenomenon unique to Japan. Many people feel that taking vacation causes trouble for those around them. This is considered to be influenced by Japan’s culture of “valuing harmony” and collectivism.

However, working long hours places a heavy burden both mentally and physically, and it doesn’t even raise productivity. So there is a need to reconsider attitudes toward time off.

One method is to think of days off as “refreshing time”. It’s important to use them meaningfully for self-improvement. For example, focusing on hobbies and family time can bring mental stability and new realizations.

Another is to build a culture of actively taking paid vacation. This needs to be encouraged in a positive way by superiors and companies. By making vacation easily accessible, employees can refresh more easily, which can raise company productivity overall.

Now, I’ve found a great show that deals with these topics!

Let’s dig deeper into the following YouTube video from Abema Prime, a popular Japanese program:

https://youtu.be/Pod_qMSkTBg?si=ffVsnTcvvRyMsDak

As you know, Japanese people’s lack of time off is well known…

However, even the statutory minimum paid vacation days of 5 go unused by 40% of people. This violates Japan’s labor laws, yet there is still peer pressure in offices not to take vacation days. Surveys show 40% of people feel guilty when trying to take paid leave.

To improve this, the government and local municipalities are promoting “workstyle reforms”. For example, Aichi Prefecture designated November 27 as “Citizens’ Day”, and public schools there were supposed to take that weekday off as a “school holiday”. But the Nagoya City Board of Education independently changed the day off. This shows conflict between local governments over larger vacation reform.

On the worker side, there is still resistance to taking time off. Manager A can only take 4 out of the 5 statutory days off. The reasons given are consideration for a busy supervisor and colleagues who don’t take much leave. A says they want 10 days off a year, but the reality is that desire goes unfulfilled.

Expert Suzuki analyzes that the reluctance comes from feeling bothersome to colleagues. If one person takes off, it piles work on others. As a solution, Suzuki proposes companies “standardize” and “manualize” tasks so the BUSINESS keeps running even when people are out.

Commentator Kim also points out the Japanese double standard around vacation. It’s natural for a foreign employee to say “I’m leaving at 5pm” but a Japanese person wouldn’t be allowed to. Why can’t they take legally mandated time off? He criticizes ingrained issues in Japanese work culture.

So what reforms are needed to change Japan’s approach to time off? Summarizing the panelists, 3 key points stand out:

(1) Make tasks less dependent on individuals through “standardization” and “documentation”

(2) Thoroughly establish the understanding that using vacation is a right. Make NOT taking it abnormal.

(3) Have each person consider how to spend time off in a fulfilling way. Make it self-improvement, not just a break.

Reforming Japan’s “vacation habits” this way could also facilitate new labor laws shortening working hours.

More than just reducing hours, a sustainable work culture requires changing mindsets. Employers and employees both need to recognize the importance of vacation. Valuing personal life quality and building a SOCIAL that makes taking time off the norm is the goal.

So what do you think about the current situation in Japan? Let me know your thoughts!