A growing number of companies are introducing "summer time," which has employees starting and ending their work days from 30 minutes to an hour earlier than usual.
A growing number of companies are introducing "summer time," which has employees starting and ending their work days from 30 minutes to an hour earlier than usual.
The practice of daylight saving time, in which clocks are advanced one hour forward, has been practiced in many Western nations for decades, but has never been officially adopted in Japan.
This year, however, many companies are introducing their own daylight saving time systems without the backing of the central government as part of measures to conserve electricity.
Starting in June, major beverage maker Ito En Ltd. began letting the employees in its Tokyo main office end their workdays at 4:30 p.m. instead of the usual 5:30 p.m.
A male employee and baseball fan said that he likes the earlier hours because he gets home in time to watch the Hanshin Tigers on TV.
"That's one of the advantages of the new summer time," he said.
Morinaga Milk Industry Co. introduced earlier hours on March 28 because of the rolling blackouts implemented by Tokyo Electric Power Co.
"If we stay in the office until late at night, we cannot go home. So we introduced the summer time as a last-ditch measure," said an official of the company's public relations division.
After the introduction, the system spread to other companies as an electricity-saving measure.
A major diaper maker, Unicharm Corp., started summer time in May.
"We suffered damages in our factory in Fukushima Prefecture so electricity was necessary for the immediate recovery of the plant. So we introduced the summer time system from a sense of crisis," said an official of the firm's PR division.
Nissan Motor Co. plans to introduce summer time in its head office and development centers from July through September. To save electricity, the carmaker will move forward the regular working hours by 30 minutes to one hour.
Japan has considered adopting daylight saving time in the past. In 2008, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda called for its introduction as part of measures to prevent global warming. After he resigned as prime minister, however, the plan was forgotten.
The current government, headed by Prime Minister Naoto Kan, is opposed to daylight saving time, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said it would be too costly to implement nationwide.
According to an Asahi Shimbun survey conducted of top 100 companies from late May to early June, however, 21 firms replied that they introduced or will introduce summer time hours.
Service industries are also cashing in by attracting company employees who are leaving their offices earlier than usual.
The Extra Cold Bar, which is operated by Asahi Breweries Ltd. and is offering beer of below-zero temperature, bumped forward the opening time of its Ginza outlet by one hour to 4 p.m. Its number of customers increased by 40 percent on weekdays.
A major operator of an "izakaya," or Japanese-style pub, increased sales by halving the price of beer between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
And with many people now leaving for work earlier in the morning, Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan Ltd. plans to increase the number of its outlets that offer breakfast menus by 30.
"It's hard to secure workers for those (morning) hours, but we cannot ignore the demand (for breakfast)," said an official of the firm's PR division.
Although some company employees are enjoying summer time, many others are bewildered by the program.
A major electric appliance maker plans to introduce summer time in July. However, a female employee in charge of public relations, says that it is difficult for her to leave the office early as her job requires making contacts with employees of other companies in later hours.
"I think the introduction of summer time is just so that the company can show it is saving electricity," she said.
After the end of World War II, daylight saving time was introduced in 1948 under the initiative of U.S.-led occupation forces. However, it was abolished four years later due to its unpopularity.
This year, the companies that introduced or will introduce summer time are making efforts to avoid criticism that the introduction is leading to longer working hours for many of their employees.
A major chemical company, Mitsubishi Rayon Co., cuts off all lights at its head office at a designated time. Sony Corp. switches off air conditioners in its head office building at 6 p.m. The two firms urge their employees to leave the office early.
Major brewer Kirin Holdings Co. also takes similar measures.
"I want my employees to change their working style in which they customarily do overtime. That is the main purpose (of the introduction of summer time)," Kirin President Senji Miyake said.
Meanwhile, some company employees who have small children find it difficult to drop off their kids at day-care centers an hour earlier than usual. Many companies are cautious in introducing summer time because of such problems.
"The introduction of summer time is difficult unless the entire country tackles it," said an official of major beverage maker Suntory Holdings Ltd.