Yet, there are some signs of change. IT giant Fujitsu, for one, launched a “Work Life Shift” program last year that transformed the office into a “collaboration hub” for hybrid work. It also created more clearly defined job roles, making it easier for its 80,000 employees in Japan to work remotely. Car maker Honda, mobile carrier SoftBank and telecom company NTT Communications have all made similar allowances for remote work, suggesting a rift in Japan’s conservative corporate culture that may align businesses more with the will of workers, 80% of whom expressed a desire to continue working from home in a February survey from Persol Research and Consulting Co.