MLIT survey shows telework in Japan holding above pre-pandemic levels
- Adam German
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) reported that 25.2 percent of Japan’s employed workers now use telework, according to the results of its fiscal 2025 “Telework Population Survey” released on March 24th.
The survey, conducted online in October 2025, gathered valid responses from 40,000 workers across the country. Teleworkers were defined as employees whose primary occupation is as a full-time staff member, contract worker, or part-time employee at a corporation or organization.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
The telework rate rose by 0.6 points from the previous year. While telework usage had declined following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest results suggest a modest rebound and a stabilizing trend. The level also remains above pre-pandemic levels, indicating that remote work has become an established feature of Japan’s employment landscape.
Why this matters to residential real estate? Workers earning major metro wages but living in regional areas can be seen as a catalyst to regional revitalization in the form of buyers and renters that can afford higher prices & rents.
Regionally, telework remains most common in the Greater Tokyo Area, where the rate reached 37.7 percent, up 0.9 points year-on-year and maintaining a level above 30 percent since fiscal 2020.
The Kansai region, centered on the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe, recorded a rate of 25.0 percent, up 0.5 points. The Chubu region, which includes the industrial hub of Nagoya, rose to 22.8 percent, marking the largest increase among the major regions with a 3.0-point gain.
In contrast, regional urban areas outside Japan’s three major metropolitan regions recorded a telework rate of 17.2 percent, slightly lower than the previous year.
Over the past year, the share of workers who actually carried out telework stood at 16.8 percent, up 1.2 points. The Greater Tokyo Area recorded the highest level at 28.1 percent, followed by the Kansai region at 15.6 percent and the Chubu region at 14.3 percent. Regional urban areas recorded a telework rate of 9.8 percent.
The survey also found that 34.1 percent of employed workers are at companies where telework systems have been introduced, up 1.0 point from the previous year. Among those workers, 64.8 percent actually used telework during the survey period.
MLIT conducts the survey as part of broader government efforts to promote flexible working arrangements and reduce commuting congestion in major cities. While telework adoption has moderated since its pandemic peak, the latest results suggest the practice remains firmly embedded in Japan’s corporate work culture.
Further Reading:
MLIT Telework Survey Results (Japanese only; offers more granular information than that outlined above)
Source:
R.E. Port News (Japanese only)
