Don't expect wild parties in Japan as 'Premium Friday' kicks off

Tokyo

TOKYO workers could take free limo rides and sip champagne on the last Friday afternoon of the month, courtesy of downtown developers. SoftBank Group Corp is giving staff extra money to hit the town. And a railway operator is running a booze train, where passengers can enjoy four hours of solid drinking.

This is how some of Japan Inc is responding to a government campaign to get the country's chronically overworked populace to leave the office by 3 pm on the last Friday of every month and go spend some cash. They call it Premium Friday.

But don't be fooled by all the fanfare. Beyond the blue-chips - and some of them are lukewarm about the plan - it will be business as usual for most companies. According to a survey of 1,603 workers by Culture Convenience Club Co, just 3.4 per cent said their employer is on board. "I haven't heard a thing about a Premium Friday at my workplace," said Ayako Sera, a market strategist with Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank Ltd in Tokyo. "…