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Women's working hours underscore gender disparity in Japan

Jan 20 (Nikkei) - A gender gap is still strongly discernible in Japan's working environment with a bipolarization of working hours among female workers, casting a new shadow over the slowing growth of the Japanese economy.

The participation of women in the Japanese workforce itself is increasing. The percentage of women in the 30 to 34 age bracket who are working or actively looking for work stood at 78% in 2020, up from 52% in 1990, according to a labor force survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the average percentage of 15- to 64-year-old women in the labor force in the member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development was 65%. Japan's ratio of 73% was higher than those of the U.S. and other countries.

Gender-based disparities, however, still remain in Japan, as shown by the distribution of working hours. There are two peaks for hours worked by female workers in Japan, while there is a single concentration of hours for male workers, according to data compiled by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The data show that 32% of women workers worked between 40 and 48 hours per week in 2020, while another large section of the female workforce -- 26% -- worked 15 to 29 hours. Working hours for men had one peak, with 46% of men working between 40 and 48 hours.

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Typhoon No. 22 has brought severe weather to the Izu Islands, especially around Hachijo Island, with strong winds and heavy rain continuing to affect the region. Although the rain and wind have peaked, authorities urge continued caution against violent gusts, high waves, and potential landslides due to saturated ground conditions. While most of the Kanto region, including the Tokyo metropolitan area, has avoided major transportation disruptions, some services along the coasts of Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures may still be affected.

As of 9 a.m. on October 9, Typhoon No. 23 (Nakri) was moving quickly northwest over waters south of Japan and is expected to influence weather conditions over the upcoming three-day holiday weekend. The typhoon is forecast to strengthen slightly as it approaches the Okinawa and Amami regions between October 10 and 11. Afterward, it is expected to curve northward, moving off the coast of Kyushu on October 12 and reaching waters south of Japan’s main islands by October 13.

Elementary and junior high school teachers in Japan still work the longest hours among their peers worldwide, according to an OECD report released on Tuesday. While the 2024 results by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed working hours had fallen by around four hours per week compared with the previous survey in 2018, Japan’s teachers still far exceeded their global counterparts.

Beer deliveries from Asahi Group Holdings have been disrupted following a ransomware cyberattack, causing shortages that have already begun to affect izakaya and other establishments across Japan. Some bars have reported their beer stock falling to “only one left” as supply chain delays ripple through the industry.

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake occurred off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture around 9:30 a.m. on October 7th, registering a maximum intensity of 4 on the Japanese seismic scale. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, there is no risk of a tsunami caused by this tremor.

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