Originally Posted by joejones

Also, Japanese labor law requires that an extra 25% be paid for work outside the business's designated 40-hour workweek and eight-hour workday. For offices, this usually works out to something like 9 to 6 with an hour off for lunch -- for cafes, stores, etc., it means they have an incentive to open later so that they pay less overtime for people who work in the more lucrative evening hours.