Hardworking Japan debates Daylight Saving Time

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - The land of the rising sun is considering Daylight Saving Time to conserve energy, curb greenhouse gas emissions and help fight global warming, but critics say the move might merely promote "daylight slaving."

Japan's government estimates that putting the clocks forward an hour in April and back again in late October could reduce nationwide carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by roughly 1.4 million tons a year.

But that's only about 0.1 percent of the 1.29 billion tons of CO2 that Japan belched out in 2005, according to the latest government data.

Instead, critics say the proposal, contained in a government outline of economic policies unveiled this month, is a thinly veiled attempt to squeeze more working hours out of employees.

Besides a work ethic that frowns on going home while it's still light outside, Japan has no laws limiting the length of the working week.

"Rather than going home at 4 p.m. or 5 p.m., people could well end up working an extra hour each day," said Tetsuo Kamota of the Labor Lawyers Association of Japan, dismissing official assurances that it wants to make sure overtime doesn't grow.

Such fears may well be premature.

Similar bills over the past decade have been put to bed early, not even making it to a vote in parliament.

Kamota said one reason was opposition from "granddad lawmakers" who remember Japan's one experiment with daylight saving time, imposed by U.S. occupation forces from 1948 to 1951.

At that time, daylight saving was introduced with almost no preparation, resulting in mass confusion and dislocation.

And at least one influential member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is opposed to the idea.

Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was flatly dismissive when asked about an earlier proposal on "summer time", as it's known in Japan, by the country's biggest business lobby.

"What a pain! I'm not interested. Companies that want it should just do it themselves," the outspoken politician was quoted by a newspaper as saying.