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Japan’s salarymen are saying sayonara to the country’s culture of overwork — with the backing of prime minister Shinzo Abe.
日本上班族将要对该国的过度工作文化说再见——在首相安倍晋三(Shinzo Abe)的支持下。
Long days in the office followed by long nights drinking with colleagues are as much a symbol of Japan as sushi or manga comics. But the culture has been blamed for several of the country’s ills, from its dearth of babies to lacklustre productivity, while a tight labour market is shifting the balance of power from companies to workers.
在办公室工作一整天后、晚上再与同事们一起泡吧喝酒，这种生活模式早已成为日本的象征，就像日本寿司和日本漫画一样。但这种文化被指加剧日本的种种弊病，从缺乏婴儿到生产率低下，同时紧缺的劳动力市场意味着实力平衡正从企业转向工人。
So, in a break with the past, Japan Inc is making a virtue of what is normal practice elsewhere in the world.
因此，“日本公司”告别传统，将世界其它地方的正常做法列为一种美德。
Trading house Itochu hopes to lure new graduates with earlier starting and finishing times, while printer maker Ricoh is banning work after 8pm. Fast Retailing, operator of the Uniqlo clothing chain, is looking to introduce a four-hour day for employees who want a better work-life balance.
贸易公司伊藤忠商事(Itochu)希望以更早的上下班时间来吸引应届毕业生，而打印机制造商理光(Ricoh)禁止晚上8点以后工作。优衣库(Uniqlo)服装连锁店的运营商迅销(Fast Retailing)正酝酿推出四小时工作日，迎合那些想要更好平衡工作与生活的员工。
“Even if working hours are short, we will pay more to the employee who produces a higher result. Long hours of work do not necessarily lead to higher performance,” said Tadashi Yanai, chief executive of Fast Retailing.
“即使工作时间很短，但我们将向业绩较高的员工支付更多薪酬。长时间的工作不一定带来更高业绩，”迅销总裁柳井正(Tadashi Yanai)表示。
Robot maker Fanuc, meanwhile, plans to woo recruits to its “inconvenient” headquarters at the foot of Mount Fuji by expanding its gym, and building a new tennis court and baseball field.
与此同时，机器人制造商发那科(Fanuc)为了吸引新员工到其位于富士山脚下的“不方便”的总部工作，计划扩大其健身房，并修建新的网球场和棒球场。
The corporate efforts to improve conditions chime with Mr Abe’s push to shake up the labour market, seen as a key plank of his growth agenda. And civil servants will also get a break.
企业改善条件的努力，与安倍晋三整顿劳动力市场的举措（被视为他的增长议程的一个重要支柱）是契合的。公务员也将得到休息。
Health ministry staff will be banned from working after 10pm from October after an earlier attempt to clear offices by switching off the lights failed.
从今年10月起，厚生劳动省的工作人员将被禁止在晚上10点以后工作，此前一项通过关灯来迫使人们下班的企图以失败告终。
The government last week also submitted a bill making it mandatory for workers to take at least five days of paid holiday a year.
政府上周还提交了一项议案，强制工人每年至少带薪休假五天。
Past attempts in Japan to improve the working environment have largely failed. Japan still has instances of karoshi — death by overwork — and many employees still feel guilty leaving early.
以往日本改善工作环境的企图大多失败。日本仍然有不少过劳死（因过度工作致死）的病例，同时许多员工仍对准时下班感到内疚。
Japanese employees only took up half their holiday entitlement last year, unlike the French and Germans who used all their allowance, according to online travel agency Expedia. The only country ranked lower is South Korea.
根据在线旅行社Expedia的调研，与用足假期的法国人和德国人不同，去年日本员工只利用了一半的假期权利。排名更低的只有韩国。
