Tokyo government gives workers four-day workweek to boost fertility, family time
Tokyo: In a move aimed at addressing Japan's shrinking birth rate, the Japanese capital is set to introduce a four-day workweek for its employees. This initiative is part of broader efforts to increase fertility rates, encourage family time and support young families, particularly in the face of Japan’s aging population.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike announced that the metropolitan government's employees will be able to take three days off every week beginning in April next year.
In a policy speech at the fourth regular session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, she said that they will review work styles to ensure that no one has to give up their career due to life events like childbirth or child care.
Koike also announced a separate policy to allow parents of primary school-aged children to leave work early in exchange for a slightly reduced salary. "In these difficult times, Tokyo must take the lead in safeguarding and improving the lives, livelihoods, and economy of our people," she said.
Only 727,277 births were recorded last year, with the fertility rate - the number of children a woman has in her lifetime - dropping to a fresh low of 1.2, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. For a population to remain stable, it needs a fertility rate of 2.1.
The move also comes as Japan continues to grapple with a gender gap in the labour market. The World Bank reports that last year, 72 percent of men participated in the workforce, compared to just 55 percent of women.
The new four-day workweek will reportedly apply to more than 160,000 employees of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, one of Japan's largest employers.
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Three company directors held in Rs 100-crore investment fraud in Kochi
Kochi (Kerala) (PTI): Police on Sunday arrested three directors of a firm accused of cheating hundreds of investors of over Rs 100 crore through a fake investment scheme linked to agricultural tourism here, officials said.
The accused were identified as Muraleedharan, Ashik Murali and Akhil Murali, all natives of Thrissur.
The arrests were made by the Kalamassery police in connection with a fraud involving ATCOS (Agri Tourism Cooperative Society), a firm headquartered at Pathadipalam here.
Police said the company had promised high returns by collecting investments from the public in the agricultural tourism sector, but allegedly cheated hundreds of people and fled with the money.
ATCOS was registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act and operated 13 branches across various districts in Kerala, besides a branch in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, officials said.
When investors failed to receive their promised returns or the invested amount, complaints were filed with the police.
Officials said around 54 cases have been registered against the firm in 32 police stations across the state, including 29 cases at the Kalamassery police station alone.
Following instructions from Kochi City Police Commissioner K S Mahesh Kumar, a special investigation team was formed under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Shehensha and Thrikkakara ACP Manoj Kumar.
The team traced the accused to an apartment in Amala Nagar in Thrissur, where they had been hiding after secretly renting the flat, officials said.
The bank accounts of the accused have been frozen, and steps have been initiated to trace their assets, officials said.
Police also conducted a raid at the company’s office at Pathadipalam and seized several documents related to the case.
The accused were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kalamassery, which remanded them to judicial custody and sent them to Kakkanad jail.
Police said they would seek the custody of the accused for further interrogation as the investigation continues.
