Tokyo is offering its employees a four-day workweek in an attempt to boost the city's birthrate.东京将推行四天工作制，以试图提高该城市的出生率。 Governor Yuriko Koike recently announced that the city's government employees will be given the option to have a three-day weekend beginning in April 2025.东京都知事小池百合子最近宣布，从2025年4月起，东京市政府员工将每周休息三天。 Another new policy will allow parents with elementary-aged children to clock out early in exchange for a pay cut.另一项新政策将允许有学龄儿童的父母提前下班，但会相应减少薪资。 The revolutionary policies in the world's largest city are attempts to encourage couples to have children as Japan continues to report a record-low fertility rate for the 16th consecutive year.在全球最大城市中推出的这些开创性政策，旨在鼓励日本夫妇生育，因为日本已连续16年报告创历史新低的生育率。 The number of babies born in Tokyo decreased by more than 15% between 2012 and 2022.2012年至2022年间，东京的新生儿数量减少了15%以上。 Tokyo's four-day experiment comes after many studies and attempts have shown that a shorter work week leads to a long list of benefits for a company and its employees.东京开展为期四天的试验性工作周之前，许多研究和尝试已表明，缩短工作周能为公司及其雇员带来一系列好处。 Similar programs have already been instated in other areas of Japan.类似的政策已经在日本其他地区开始实施。 "We will review work styles … with flexibility, ensuring no one has to give up their career due to life events such as childbirth or child care," Koike said in a policy speech at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly's fourth regular session, NBC reported.据NBC报道，小池百合子在东京都议会第四届常会上发表政策演讲时表示：“我们将灵活审视工作方式……确保没有人因生育或育儿等生活事件而不得不放弃职业生涯。”
"Now is the time for Tokyo to take the initiative to protect and enhance the lives, livelihoods and economy of our people during these challenging times for the nation," Koike said.小池说：“现在，正值国家面临挑战之际， 东京应当主动出击，保护并提升我们民众的生活、生计和经济。” In 2023, Japan's fertility rate dropped to 1.2 children expected per woman during her lifetime; experts claim that the nation needs that number to reach at least 2.1 for the population to remain stable.2023年，日本的生育率降至每位女性一生平均预期生育1.2个孩子；专家称，为保持人口稳定，日本的生育率需要达到至少2.1。 Experts believe the dip in births to be partially attributed to Japan's intense work culture. The country even has a term for "death by overwork" — karoshi — that often forces women to choose between their careers or family.专家认为，出生率下降的部分原因可归咎于日本紧张的工作文化。日本甚至有一个词叫“过劳死”（karoshi），这往往迫使女性在职业和家庭之间做出选择。 The country has the widest gender gap in labor force participation of any high-income nation — 55% for women and 72% for men last year, according to the World Bank.据世界银行数据显示， 在劳动力参与率方面，日本的性别差距是高收入国家中最大的——去年，日本女性的劳动力参与率为55%，而男性为72%。 As more Japanese women are continuously opting to focus on their careers instead of their families, the country has struggled with a labor shortage and the world's highest ratio of elderly people.随着越来越多的日本女性不断选择专注于事业而非家庭， 日本面临着劳动力短缺和老年人口比例全球最高的问题。 To combat the ongoing issue, Japan has offered cash incentives for larger families, tax breaks, created more daycare centers and even released a government-sponsored dating app that requires users to promise that they are using it with the goal of marriage.为解决这一持续存在的问题，日本为大家庭提供现金激励、税收减免， 建设了更多的日间照料中心，甚至推出了一款政府赞助的约会应用程序，要求用户承诺使用该应用的目的是为了结婚。素材来源：纽约邮报 长按上方二维码，下载TED英语演讲APP
