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Economy

Japan's Abe treads carefully on minimum rest for workers

Prime minister proposes subsidy but wary of mandate

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

TOKYO -- The Japanese government will consider providing financial aid to help businesses adopt minimum rest periods for employees, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told lawmakers Monday, even as he avoided committing to making the policy mandatory.

Trade unions and others in Japan, which is seeing a renewed public debate on the social costs of overwork, have been pushing for a minimum period of consecutive hours off. The opposition Democratic Party has proposed legislation that would include such a provision.

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