JAPAN: Bosses Go Home

The relentless work ethic of the Japanese is an awesome force to contemplate—even in Japan. The Tokyo government, fearing that frequent complaints from foreign competitors whom the Japanese outhustle might help stir demands for another revaluation of the yen, is now trying to persuade the nation's employees to work fewer hours and take more holidays. The Labor Ministry and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry have extended the campaign to bosses by fining supervisors who insist on working holidays and their normal days off. The fines range from $3.25 to $6.50 for each violation—a much larger sum in...

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