TOKYO -- Japan's labor ministry is eyeing expansion of the so-called "inter-work interval system" requiring a certain number of rest hours from the end of duties one day to the start of work the next.

The interval system was introduced under the work-style reform legislation that came into effect in in 2019, and obliges companies to make efforts to implement it. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare aims to have 15% of businesses introduce the system by 2028, but that figure currently stands at 5.7%. Among businesses that have introduced it, the average interval is 10 hours, 40 minutes.

For businesses that already have a system of at least 9-hour rest intervals in place, the ministry will provide between 1 million and 1.2 million yen ($6,400 to $7,700) to cover the cost of labor management software and other related expenses. The ministry also intends to create industry-specific manuals that include actual examples of interval systems and key points of operation by industry, including the accommodation and IT industries, and gradually expand the number of such manuals.

With the updates, the ministry will commission private organizations to have lecturers at business seminars, attended by corporate personnel and hiring managers, inform them about the system and its effectiveness.

An official emphasized, "Even if an interval system is not in regular use, it's good to introduce one in case something unexpected happens and overtime is needed."

(Japanese original by Nanako Hori, Lifestyle, Science & Environment News Department)