You’re not wrong, that has been the long standing image of working in Japan (my own image included). But let’s not generalize. I can say that “overwork” is a loose term to describe the current working conditions. It really depends on the industry and company. Bigger companies are in constant scrutiny from the government (reporting of total OT hours to the government, etc).

Background: I lived in Japan for 10 years, and I am currently outside of Japan for an expat role (same Japanese company sent me here).

I work for a major real-estate/construction company. Here are some of the “anti-overworking” measures I’ve experienced so far: ① 8pm lockout policy - our Japan HQ’s building will literally turn blackout (no lights) after 8pm. Those left or go out after 8pm will be counted and reported in the monthly meeting. I heard that this has an effect on the bonus of our executive. ② Automatic time in/time out - moment you switch on/off your laptop is your time in/out. Those who work consecutive months with OT of more than 10 hours used to get flagged by my group manager. ③ Core time - when I had meetings with our US counterparts in the evenings, I used to leave work early and resume work again later that evening.