Japanese supermarkets to expand closures for New Year s holiday Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. If you re not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site: https://www.enable-javascript.com/
Many supermarkets in Japan will stay closed for longer than usual during the New Year s holidays this year. | BLOOMBERG
Jiji Dec 24, 2020
Supermarkets in Japan are planning to stay closed for longer than usual during the New Year’s holidays in an effort to relieve staff workers of the heavy burden of taking measures against coronavirus infection.
The moves are also part of work-style reform efforts.
By prefecture, the rate was highest in Yamanashi at 98.6%, and lowest in Akita, at 83.0%.
The rate stood at 96.9% in Hokkaido, 96% in Osaka and 94.5% in Tokyo. The three prefectures are seeing rapid growth in the number of newly confirmed infections.
Meanwhile, the proportion of people working remotely fell to some 20% in July from around 30% in May, when the government’s state of emergency over the coronavirus was in place, according to a survey by the Japan Productivity Center. The rate dropped below 20% in October.
But some companies are starting to again reduce the number of employees working at offices.
Toshiba Corp. and Hitachi Ltd. advised employees to take paid holidays around the holidays to enable them to take up to 18 and 17 straight days off, respectively.