Advertisement
Work from home to avoid Olympic traffic jams, Tokyo tells commuters
- Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the 2020 Games, putting added strain on the Japanese capital’s public transport systems
- Officials also hope that promoting working from home will encourage a more easy-going approach in a country known for death from overwork
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Japan’s famously diligent workers spend more hours at the office than employees in almost any other country. But to avoid traffic chaos at next year’s Olympics, authorities have a message: stay home.
Advertisement
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend Olympic and Paralympic events in Tokyo during the 2020 Games, putting additional strain on the city’s already notoriously crowded commuter routes.
Officials also hope that promoting working from home during the Games will encourage a more easy-going approach in a country known for its cases of karoshi, or death from overwork.
“We are expecting … up to 920,000 spectators and Olympic staff members a day,” said Kasumi Yamasaki, who oversees transport issues for the Games at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Advertisement
Experts expect a 10 per cent rise in passengers on trains, and a 20 per cent increase in express highway users, which could result in lengthy delays and even dangerous crowding.
Advertisement