Why are working hours still so long in Japan? Shortening the workday is the number one priority of Japan's policy aimed at "reforming work-styles." The assertion that the Japanese work too much is nothingnew.Waystochangethecorporatecultureofoverworkhavebeendiscussedforseveraldecades withattemptstodosomadeatthelevelofpolicyandlegislation.Butworkinghourshavenotdecreased at all. Regular employees in Japan still work more than 2,000 hours per year, a level more or less unchanged since the 1990s (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare 2015). The subject attracted attention from abroad, and in the process, the expression "karshi" (death caused by overwork) as the most extreme manifestation of this, has somehow become established as a phenomenon symbolic of Japan. So far, repeated revisions in Japanese law and policy have been made by amending the Labor Standards Act and regulating working hours, but the impact has beenminimal. Discuss the main reasons and effects of long-hours culture for most employees in Japanese organisationstoday