Japanese firms are increasingly adopting performance-based human resources management strategies (JILPT, 2009a). In 2000, over a quarter of Japanese workers worked 50 hours or more a week, compared with less than one-sixth in the United States and between 2% and 5% in many European countries (Lee, 2004). By 2008, the situation had improved only slightly, as 24% of all workers still worked 49 or more hours.34 Furthermore, under-utilisation of eligible annual leave is characteristic of Japanese employment practices. According to a survey carried out in 2007, Japanese workers in private companies with 30 or more regular employees took on average 8.2 days of annual leave (JILPT, 2009b). Reasons for not taking annual leave are anxiety about a negative personnel assessment, the perceived high workload, and strong work-orientation as a cultural feature, mainly among men in their forties (Ogura, 2006). The introduction of performance-based wage systems seems to further promote long working hours (Ogura, 2006).