The survey conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) found that only 60.5% of junior high school teachers reported working less than the legally mandated maximum of 45 hours of overtime each month. In contrast, 77.8% of elementary school teachers and 72.6% of high school teachers met this standard. Although these figures represent a slight improvement over the previous year, they indicate that achieving the government's goal of 100% compliance is still a distant objective. MEXT has been pushing for reforms in work practices to alleviate excessive overtime that burdens teachers, particularly in junior high schools.

The report highlights that the average overtime hours vary across educational levels, with elementary school teachers averaging 30.6 hours, junior high 40.4 hours, and high school 33.4 hours. While elementary schools are close to reaching the 45-hour goal, junior high schools remain notably behind. Issues such as extracurricular activities and student guidance seem to consume significant amounts of teachers' time, prompting calls for more profound changes in the education sector's work culture. As part of ongoing reforms, legislation passed last June aims to reduce average monthly overtime for teachers to approximately 30 hours by fiscal year 2029.

Despite these measures, the data reveals concerning trends, such as high proportions of teachers exceeding the 30-hour overtime threshold, particularly among junior high school teachers (80.7%) and high school teachers (64.0%). MEXT has acknowledged the need for further reforms, emphasizing that a deeper examination of work practices is essential across all educational levels to ensure a sustainable teaching environment that prioritizes teachers' well-being alongside student education.