Japan is looking to make life easier for workaholics with a new law that aims to make them use their vacation days.
The legislation, which will be submitted during the parliamentary session that started on Jan. 26, will require employers to make sure their workers take days off and get the rest they need, according to the Associated Press.
Data collected by the Japanese government states that overworking is a huge problem in the country, with 22 percent of Japanese people being workaholics. This issue affects 16 percent of Americans, 11 percent of the French and Germans, and 35 percent of South Koreans.
The country has spent years studying new legislation for the workaholic situation, as the issue is responsible for several health and social problems employees develop, including Japan's declining birth rate, the AP reported. Japanese workers take barely half of their vacation days, with each person only taking an average of nine days off per year. Workers that are dedicated to their jobs to the point where they won't go home are referred to as "salarymen."
One of the reasons people don't take time off is that they are afraid that their co-workers will resent them for using vacation days. Japanese workaholics also face a similar problem that workaholics in America do in that many of them don't get guaranteed paid vacations.
While Japanese have to use their days off for sick days, there is a law that states if they get seriously sick and take extended days off, they will be guaranteed two-thirds of their wages. Health and labor ministry official Yuu Wakebe says that as a result, workers save two to three of their vacation days in case they catch a cold or some other illness.
The Japanese have even started using the word "karoshi" to refer to cases where people literally work themselves to death, as such deaths are that common in the country, the AP reported. The government estimates that 200 people die each year from heart attacks and cerebral hemorrhaging after working long hours.
Experts believe the new law would be a good start to getting Japanese employees to take it easy.