I was recently fortunate enough to spend a year learning Japanese and studying Japanese history and culture in Fukuoka, West Japan. One of the things that struck me was the extent to which the work culture in Japan defines people’s family and social life. In England, we tend to keep our work and social lives quite separate. In Japan, however, going for a drink with colleagues after work is not only widespread, it’s also essential if you want to advance your career. Indeed, it’s only over post-work beer and sake that the future of the company is discussed and promotions are sealed. It’s not unusual for people to find themselves with social engagements after work most nights of the week, and even sometimes at weekends.

The traditional figure of the ‘salary man’, who begins and ends his working life with the same company, is very well known. But perhaps what’s less well known is the deep bond of loyalty between company and employee, which is still vital in Japan today, even if the labour market is gradually becoming more flexible. This bond creates a great sense of duty to one’s colleagues and bosses, and contributes to the fact that Japanese workers clock up more hours than their counterparts in the UK, Germany and the United States, and only take on average half of the days of holiday they are entitled to. This extends to paternity leave, too. In fact, nationwide, only 1 in 100 new fathers take any of the two weeks’ paternity leave they are allowed. In April last year, a district mayor in Tokyo topped the headlines in Japan by becoming the first local government employee to take time off after the birth of a new child, and tried to encourage other men across Japan to do the same. In general, people feel obliged to stay in work until the day’s tasks are completed, and would be highly embarrassed to be seen going home before co-workers. What is the work culture like in the countries you know? Do you think it’s possible to achieve a perfect work/life balance?