PM Shigeru Ishiba has called Japan ’s stubbornly low birth rate a ‘quiet emergency and has pledged policies like flexible working hours.

Tokyo's governor wants to introduce a four-day workweek for government personnel in the Japanese capital as part of a nationwide push to encourage parenthood. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has called Japan's stubbornly low birth rate a "quiet emergency" and has pledged policies like flexible working hours.

The capital is joining a growing number of local governments introducing similar measures to improve working conditions amid a labor shortage.

Gov. Yuriko Koike on Dec. 3 announced plans to introduce a system that would give metropolitan government workers the option to take three da･･･