Japanese companies will introduce upright 'nap box' for overworked employees

In order to help bring a healthier office culture to the country, Japan's Itoki Corporation and Koyoju Gohan KK are partnering to release vertical "nap boxes".

While Koyoju Gohan is designing the boxes, furniture specialist Itoki acquired a signed license agreement for the joint venture.

Japan, where people who sleep during the day are called inemuri, is infamous for overlong work office hours among employees.

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Saeko Kawashima, communications director at Itoki told Bloomberg that "In Japan, there are a lot of people who will lock themselves up in the bathroom for a while, which I don't think is healthy. It's better to sleep in a comfortable location."

Providing support to the head, knees, and rear, the nap box will ensure that the person using it does not fall over.

This new development may nudge employees in Japan to take short power naps throughout the day, with research pointing to restorative rest increasing productivity.

"I think a lot of Japanese people tend to work continuously with no breaks," Kawashima said.

"We are hoping that companies can use this as a more flexible approach to resting."

(With inputs from agencies)

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