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Paper short abstract:

In this article we try to study the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the development of telework in Japan. We also seek to explain why telework has not developed as much as it has in other OECD countries.

Paper long abstract:

In Japan, as in most developed countries, the COVID-19 crisis had led to renewed interest for telework as a Business Continuity Management tool. Indeed, this practice experienced a boom from the beginning of 2020, with a peak of use never reached so far between the months of April and June 2020. This research aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the development of telework in Japan. In the first part of this study, we take stock of the development of telework in Japan before the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. This analytical work makes it possible to define the Japanese specificity in terms of the use of telework, as well as to highlight the dynamics underway among companies before the crisis. In a second step, we seek to assess the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the degree of telework use. We are particularly interested in the evolution of disparities according to industries, geographical location or company size. We then look at the nature and degree of difficulties encountered by workers in using telework during the first two quarters of 2020. In a final step we seek to explain why telework has not developed as much as it has in other OECD countries and discuss the future prospects for telework in Japanese work practices.