At its 212th meeting on October 14, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Labour Conditions Subcommittee of the Labour Policy Council at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare took up three concrete issues in working-hours law: the work-interval system (勤務間インターバル制度), the so-called "right to disconnect," and the recording of working hours. The materials pose each point as a question of how to think about it. No conclusion or law amendment has been decided.A "work interval" is a set amount of rest time between finishing work and starting the next shift. The "right to disconnect" is the idea that you need not answer work messages outside working hours. A national council is discussing how to handle both. Nothing has been decided yet.
Current position and the points under discussion
CurrentPoints for the subcommittee
Work intervalDuty to make efforts under the Act on Special Measures for Improvement of Working HoursWhat measures to take, including its "legal status"
Recording working hoursEmployer's responsibility under a guideline and the Industrial Safety and Health ActDiscussing how to record, given the point that some workplaces do not record at all
Meeting schedule of the subcommittee
September 16, 2026211th meeting. Discussed labour standards-related legislation
October 14, 2026212th meeting. Discussed work intervals and related points
October 23, 2026213th meeting. The agenda is labour standards-related legislation
At the Annual Meetings the IMF published the October 2026 Fiscal Monitor, Taxing Better to Boost Growth (the IMF Media Center gives October 14 as the release date). It recommends that taxing better can support growth without sacrificing revenue. The Director of the Fiscal Affairs Department said fiscal risks are rising and a proper reaction is largely absent in many countries.In the Fiscal Monitor the IMF reviews how countries tax and spend. The October 2026 theme is boosting growth by taxing better. Its suggestion is that reducing the distortions in how taxes are levied can raise companies' investment, the number of people working and productivity without reducing tax revenue.
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