Japan’s Fujitsu to shut down half of its offices in Japan

On Monday, Fujitsu Ltd. (6702.T) announced that it would halve its office space in Japan by March 2023 as it pushes for its 80,000 employees to work remotely amid the coronavirus outbreak. The IT solutions company said that its employees would be working from home and would be under flexible hours.

“We will overhaul our current work, allowance and welfare framework that is based on the assumption that employees commute to designated offices every day,” Fujitsu’s Global Human Resource and Corporate Affairs Unit Head Hiroki Hiramatsu said in a news briefing.

The company said it would set up hub offices in various areas in Japan with the capability of showcasing products, demonstrating cutting-edge tech systems, and collaborating with customers. Fujitsu also plans to increase satellite office spaces.

Fujitsu joins other major businesses like Hitachi Ltd. (HTHIY), Toshiba Corp. (TOSBF), and Sony Corp. (SNE) in expanding work-from-home arrangements which have been increasingly introduced in the country to reduce the risk of being infected by the coronavirus.