The coronavirus pandemic is changing many aspects of the ways in which Japan works, with analysts suggesting that the crisis offers a chance for companies that still hold deeply traditional views of what work entails to ditch the old ways and catch up with their leaner and more nimble rivals overseas.
There are arguably two most glaring symbols of just how old-fashioned and conservative the average Japanese company is: the fax machine and the “hanko,” or carved official seal. A study by the government last year determined that virtually every Japanese company and one-third of all households still use fax machines — technology that dates from the 1980s — for a good proportion of their communications. Equally, the hanko is an unshakable requirement for every piece of official paperwork and the imprint has to be physically applied in tandem with or in place of a personal signature.
“We are seeing the coronavirus ushering in a new way of working in Japan, and I think it’s about time,” said Ivan Tselichtchev, a professor at the Niigata University of Management, who says the nation’s attachment to the fax machine is particularly difficult to fathom, but is probably rooted in older employees’ reluctance to trust modern technology.
Another change in the work environment has been working from home, another inevitable innovation as the authorities called on companies to reduce the number of people in offices by 80%. Achieving that would also dramatically cut the number of people crammed into commuter trains and buses and potentially sharing the virus.
Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at the Tokyo campus of Temple University, said he believes that Japanese workers — many of whom detested their congested commutes, long hours in the office and the inefficiencies of their organizations — will want to continue their new way of working once the lockdown is eased.
Source: Deutsche Welle
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