The Yoimiuri Shinbun is reporting that the Japanese government will be making some changes about overtime pay rules:

The government plans to raise overtime pay rates for hours worked in excess of a set number of overtime hours from 25 percent of ordinary pay to about 40 percent in an attempt to reduce the amount of overtime worked, sources close to the government said Saturday.

The government likely will submit a bill to the ordinary Diet session next year to revise the Labor Standards Law, the sources said.

The current law states that any work done in excess of eight hours a day or 40 hours a week is overtime and at least 125 percent of ordinary hourly pay should be paid for these hours.

In the United States, employers are required to pay an additional 50 percent for overtime hours worked. The overtime rate in Japan also is far lower than rates in Europe.

The article goes on to state that they hope that the new rule will shorten work hours and allow for men to come home from work earlier.  Since they might actually be able to spend some time with their children after work, it might help Japan’s declining birthrate.   It might also allow time for workers to sleep at night.
But then again, considering the fact that many Japanese workers “volunteer” to work overtime (and are not paid anything), will this new rule have much of an effect?