Japanese men working shorter hours: survey

"Workaholic" may no longer be the most appropriate label for Japanese businessmen.

A survey has shown that Japanese men spend less time at work than they once did amid an economic slowdown and use their leisure time surfing the Internet at home rather than going out to drink, a news report said Saturday.

They now work eight hours and 39 minutes a day on average, around one hour less than they did in 2000, Jiji Press said, reporting the results of a survey covering 400 male corporate employees in their 20s to 50s.

In their private time, workers spent a record seven hours and 59 minutes a week on the Internet or catching up with email, the survey showed.

The previous survey in 2000 showed they spent seven hours and 52 minutes watching television - then the top leisure-time activity.

Drinking at coffee shops or bars now took up just two hours and 25 minutes a week, down from a high of seven hours and 52 minutes in 1990, it said.