Japan lacks basic tools for many to work remotely

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April 27, 2020

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Japan lacks basic tools for many to work remotely

Source: AP | 00:00 UTC+8 April 27, 2020 |

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When the Japanese government declared a nationwide state of emergency to curb the spread of the coronavirus earlier this month and asked people to work from home, crowds rushed to electronics stores.

Many Japanese lack the basic tools needed to do remote work. Contrary to the ultramodern image of Japan Inc, with its robots, design finesse and gadgetry galore, in many respects the country is technologically challenged.

But the bigger obstacle is Japanese corporate culture, experts say. Offices still often rely on faxes instead of e-mail. Many homes lack high-speed Internet connections, and documents often must be stamped in-person with carved seals called “hanko,” which serve as signatures.

A survey by YouGov, a British market researcher, found only 18 percent of those recently surveyed were able to avoid commuting to school or work, even though a relatively high 80 percent of people in Japan are afraid of catching the virus.

In India, nearly 70 percent of those surveyed were staying at home. In the US, it was about 30 percent, YouGov said.

One factor, says Yuri Tazawa, a pioneer in Japan of “teleworking,” or working from home, is that Japanese workers often do not have clearly defined jobs like Americans do. So companies expect their staff to be in constant communication with each other, working as teams.

“But this is a matter of life and death for the workers and their families,” said Tazawa, president of Telework Management Inc.

Unlike regular Zoom meetings, in which workers check in and out for discussions, she is using Zoom for just voice connections, keeping it on throughout the work day so that employees who would normally share an office can feel as if they’re in the same room.

Nicholas Benes, a corporate governance expert who has been offering a free webinar on teleworking for Japanese, said interest was surprisingly low.

“Telework requires that managers trust and delegate much more decision-making to employees because it takes too much time in email or Skype to check with the boss.

“Japanese companies still rely on nuances of face-to-face interaction, or being able to ‘smell the air,’ or ‘read the air,’” Benes said, using common vernacular expressions.

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Japan lacks basic tools for many to work remotely

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