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Tokyo's governor is giving city employees the option to have a four-day work week in hopes to boost Japan's record low fertility rates.
近日，东京都政府给市政雇员提供了每周工作四天的选择，希望以此来扭转日本创纪录的低生育率。
Thomas Simmons is a Canadian living in Japan. He's not a government worker, but says a four-day work week would surely encourage him and his wife to have more children.
托马斯·西蒙斯是一位居住在日本的加拿大人。他不是政府工作人员，但他表示，每周工作四天肯定会鼓励他和妻子生更多的孩子。
"There's just not enough time in a day to really balance both, so having an extra day would be like a godsend."
“其实一天中没有足够的时间来真正平衡（工作和生活）的，所以多出一天就像是天赐之物。”
Last year, Tokyo's fertility rate dropped to 1.2 children, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
根据厚生劳动省的数据，去年东京的生育率降至每位女性一生中仅生1.2个孩子。
This should be at least 2.1 for a population to remain stable.
这个数值至少应该是2.1，人口才能保持稳定。
In Tokyo, city employees with children in grades 1 to 3 will also be able to trade some salary to leave early for child care.
在东京，孩子在一年级到三年级的市政雇员，也可以用一些工资换取提前下班照顾孩子。
"Big issues that like I'm personally facing and a lot of couples I know are facing is child care."
“我个人和我认识的很多夫妻都面临的一个大问题就是照顾孩子。”
Thomas says these new policies aren't just beneficial for employees.
托马斯说，这些新政策不仅是对员工有利。
As a recruiter in Japan, he thinks it's good for companies, too.
作为在日本的招聘人员，他认为该新政策对企业也有好处。
"It would be a huge selling point, and I think people would be like lining up to get into that company."
“这将会是一个巨大的卖点，我认为会有排成长队的人想进这家公司。”
While Tokyo is reducing its weekly workdays, Greece is going in the opposite direction.
在东京减少每周工作日的同时，希腊却反其道而行之。
It was the first European nation to adopt an optional six-day work week in July, hoping to improve productivity.
今年7月，希腊成为欧洲第一个实行每周6天工作制的国家，希望以此提高生产率。
