Nearly 60 pct of Japanese workers want no part of traditional New Year's office parties: survey

Nearly 60 percent of working adults in Japan have no interest in going to New Year's parties with colleagues, Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun reported, citing a recent survey by a research institute.

The online survey, conducted by Shufu Job Soken, a private research institute based in Tokyo, in November ahead of the year-end party season, asked 559 working women and men aged from their 20s to their 50s how willing they were to attend the traditional New Year's dinner and drinks parties with coworkers.

According to the results, 57.4 percent of the respondents said they were "absolutely unwilling to participate," "unwilling to participate" or "somewhat unwilling to participate." By age group, those in their 30s had the highest percentage at 63.0 percent, followed by people in their 20s, at 55.9 percent, 55.8 percent in their 40s, and 52.1 percent in their 50s.

Major reasons for not wanting to join office year-end parties include "not seeing the need" with 48.4 percent, "tired of putting energy into intense social interaction" with 46.8 percent, "wanting to prioritize private life" with 46.5 percent, and "concerned about the cost" with 43 percent.

The survey also asked about the need for a "New Year's party culture" in the workplace, with 62.1 percent of the respondents answering that they "do not think it is necessary."