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Japan is a nation so hardworking that the Japanese language has a term for working oneself to death.
日本是一个勤劳的民族，日语中有一个词意为 “工作到死”。
Now, the government is trying to deal with a labor shortage.
现在，政府正在努力应对劳动力短缺的问题。
One solution is to get more people and companies to accept four-day workweeks.
一种解决方案是让更多的人和公司接受每周四天工作制。
The Japanese government first supported a shorter working week in 2021. Few companies have signed on, however.
日本政府在2021年首次支持缩短工作周。然而，很少有公司签署。
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said only about eight percent of companies permit three days off a week, while seven percent give their workers the required one day off.
卫生、劳动和福利部称，只有约 8% 的公司允许工人每周休息三天，而 7% 的公司则允许工人按规定休息一天。
Hoping to get small and medium-sized businesses to change, the government started a "work style reform" campaign.
政府启动了“工作方式改革”运动，希望能让中小企业改变。
It pushes shorter hours and other flexible plans for work along with paid time off and limits on overtime.
这一运动推动了更短的工作时间和其他灵活的工作计划，以及带薪休假和加班限制。
The labor ministry recently started offering free services and resources to help companies make the change.
劳动部门最近开始提供免费的服务和资源，以帮助公司进行变革。
A ministry website explains the "hatarakikata kaikaku" campaign, which means "innovating how we work."
一个政府部门网站解释了“hatarakikatakaikaku”运动，意思是“创新我们的工作方式”。
It says that when workers can choose how they work, they will have a better outlook on the future and the economy will grow.
它说，当工人可以选择他们的工作方式时，他们会对未来有更好的展望，经济也会增长。
The department handling the new support services for businesses says only about three companies have asked for their advice.
负责为企业提供新支持服务的部门表示，只有大约三家公司向他们寻求建议。
Such changes will not come easily in the Japanese culture, where being a “workaholic,” or frequently working overtime, has long been highly valued.
在日本文化中，“工作狂 ”或经常加班长期以来一直受到高度评价，因此这种变化不会轻易发生。
That is credited for the country’s national recovery and fast economic growth after World War II.
这被认为是该国在二战后国家复苏和经济快速增长的原因。
There is great pressure to be the same as the others in one’s work group.
在一个人的工作小组中，与其他人保持一致会有很大的压力。
People usually take vacations at the same time of year as their co-workers.
人们通常会和同事在一年中的同一时间休假。
Although the law and labor agreements limit overtime, some work longer hours without pay.
尽管法律和劳动合同限制加班，但有些人还是无偿加班。
A recent government report dealt with "karoshi."
最近的一份政府报告涉及了“过劳死”。
That is the Japanese term meaning "death from overwork.”
这一日语术语意为“过度工作导致的死亡”。
The report said Japan has at least 54 such deaths a year, including from heart attacks.
该报告称，日本每年至少有54人因此类原因死亡，其中包括心脏病发作。
Tim Craig wrote a book called Cool Japan: Case Studies from Japan's Cultural and Creative Industries.
蒂姆·克雷格写了一本书，名为《酷日本：日本文化与创意产业的案例研究》。
"Work is a big deal here. It's not just a way to make money, although it is that, too," said Craig.
“工作在这里是一件大事。这不仅仅是一种赚钱的方式，尽管它也是，”克雷格说。
Some officials think it is time to change that way of thinking to save the workforce.
一些官员认为，是时候改变这种思维方式来拯救劳动力了。
Japan's birth rate continues to fall, and the work culture is said to be one reason for that.
日本的出生率持续下降，据说工作文化是其中一个原因。
Government reports expect that, at the current rate, the working age population will drop by 40 percent to 45 million by 2065.
政府报告预计，按照目前的速度，到2065年，劳动年龄人口将下降40%，降至4500万。
Supporters of the three-days-off model say it helps people remain in the workforce longer.
支持三天休假模式的人表示，这有助于人们延长工作年限。
It would give them more time to raise children and care for older relatives.
这会给他们更多的时间来抚养孩子和照顾年长的亲戚。
For retirees living on retirement pensions, it would provide additional income.
对于靠退休金生活的退休人员来说，这将提供额外的收入。
Akiko Yokohama works at Spelldata, a technology company that lets employees work a four-day work week.
横滨晶子在Spelldata工作，这是一家允许员工每周工作四天的科技公司。
She takes Wednesdays off along with Saturdays and Sundays.
她每周三休息，连同周六和周日一起。
The extra day off allows her to get her hair done, go to other appointments or go shopping.
额外的一天休息让她可以去做头发、赴约或购物。
Her husband works in real estate. He also gets Wednesdays off but works weekends, which is common in his industry.
她的丈夫从事房地产工作。他周三也休息，但周末工作，这在他的行业中很常见。
Yokohama said that it lets her and her husband go on midweek family outings with their elementary-school age child.
横滨表示，这让她和她的丈夫可以在周中与他们上小学的孩子一起去家庭郊游。
But there are signs of change.
但有迹象表明情况正在发生变化。
A few companies, including Uniqlo, Ricoh and Hitachi have begun offering a four-day workweek.
包括优衣库、理光和日立在内的几家公司已经开始提供每周四天工作制。
A recent Gallup public opinion study measured employee engagement.
最近的一项盖洛普民意研究衡量了员工的敬业度。
Gallup said Japan has among the least engaged workers of all nationalities it has studied.
盖洛普表示，在它所研究的所有国家中，日本的员工敬业度最低。
Only six percent of the Japanese who answered described themselves as engaged at work compared to the worldwide average of 23 percent.
只有6%的日本受访者表示自己在工作中投入，而全球平均水平为23%。
That means relatively few Japanese workers felt happy and highly involved in their workplace.
这意味着相对较少的日本员工在工作场所感到快乐和高度投入。
Most were putting in their hours without investing passion or energy.
大多数人只是投入时间，而没有投入激情或精力。
Kanako Ogino is president of Tokyo-based NS Group.
小日向加奈子是总部位于东京的NS集团的总裁。
She thinks offering flexible hours is needed for filling jobs in the service industry, where women are most of the work force.
她认为，在服务业中提供灵活的工作时间是填补工作岗位的必要条件，因为服务业的劳动力主要是女性。
The company offers 30 different scheduling patterns, including a four-day workweek, but also taking long periods off in between work.
该公司提供30种不同的排班模式，包括每周工作四天，但也可以在工作之间休长假。
To ensure none of the NS Group's workers feel out of place for choosing a different schedule, Ogino asks each of her 4,000 employees twice a year how they want to work.
为了确保NS集团的员工不会因为选择了不同的工作安排而感到不自在，荻野每年会询问她的4000名员工两次，了解他们希望如何工作。
Voicing your own needs is disapproved in Japan, where you are expected to sacrifice for the common good.
日本推崇共同利益做出牺牲，表达自己的需求是不被认可的。
"The view in Japan was: You are cool the more hours you work, putting in free overtime," Ogino said with a laugh. "But there is no dream in such a life."
荻野笑着说：“在日本，人们的观点是：你工作的时间越长，无偿加班越多，你就越酷。”“但这样的生活没有梦想。”
I’m Jill Robbins. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
我是吉尔·罗宾斯。我是小马里奥·里特。
