Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (in power between 2000 and 2004) and his chief economic adviser and minister of finance, Heizo Takenaka, understood all too well that Japan was losing ground in terms of productivity. They sought to counter the trend toward less work through privatization and deregulation.
前首相小泉纯一郎（于2000至2004年间执政）和他的首席经济顾问兼财政大臣竹中平藏对日本在生产率方面节节败退的情况十分清楚。他们试图通过私有化和放松管制等措施来遏制工作时间缩短的势头。