Seeking Work–Life Balance in Japan: An Assessment on Work, Family, and Life Areas

Achieving a work–life balance has become essential in modern society, primarily because the capitalist system has significantly affected family life and working life. However, these effects vary across cultures. For example, Japan has a unique capitalist working culture. Although the Japanese government has tried to regulate work–life balance, the established work culture has severely limited the regulatory effectiveness. Because this balance cannot be achieved, individuals, families, and society, in general, are affected. Therefore, using up-to-date data and prominent indicators on work, family, and life, this study examined work–life balance and Japanese work culture to determine how work–life balance in Japan could be achieved. First, a detailed literature review was conducted, after which recent secondary data were analyzed. It was confirmed that the long working hours in Japan have resulted in karoshi and karojisatsu and have had extremely strong, negative effects on family life. To overcome the traditional gender-based inequality and gender roles in Japan, regular and non-regular employment for Japanese women is vital; however, there remain significant disadvantages in terms of income. The life indicators revealed that regardless of employment, Japanese women were more burdened than men. While the Japanese working life can be aligned with spillover (overflow) theory, family and private life are more aligned with conflict theory.