Using information on Japanese, UK, and German workers work hour and matched firms characteristics, this paper investigates whether the number of hours worked is determined by demand-side factors, and tries to introduce one possibility to explain why Japanese tend to work longer hours than...

Using data from a Japanese time use survey, we show a noteworthy increase in the share of employees working unusual hours (late night and early morning) over a period of a decade since the mid 1990s. When controlling for changes in hours worked, however, we find that the notable increase in the...