Day off for dating...

Japan's notoriously hard-working salarymen are being given a chance by the government to cut their hours in a bid to improve their health - and their fecundity. Workers who put in more than 40 hours of overtime a month will earn the right to an extra day off this month, according to a policy paper prepared by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in June. Employers will also have to pay them an extra-high rate for overtime above 30 hours, in an attempt to make companies think twice about asking their workers to burn the midnight oil. The problem of overwork is particularly severe among men in their 30s, the ministry says. About a quarter work more than 60 hours a week, according to official figures, though the real number may be higher.