A recent government survey on Monday found that 45.5 per cent of people working in Japan sleep less than six hours per night on average.

In the white paper approved earlier this month by the Japanese cabinet, 10.0 per cent of respondents reported getting less than five hours of slumber a night, 35.5 per cent between five and six hours, and 35.2 per cent between six and seven hours.

According to the survey of 10,000 employees, around 70 per cent of those getting an ideal amount of sleep were not at risk of depression or anxiety.

The proportion fell under 40 per cent among those sleeping three to five hours less than their ideal amount.

The health ministry survey showed that 27.4 per cent of workers who were four hours short of their ideal amount of sleep and 38.5 per cent of those five hours short were suspected to be suffering from severe depression or anxiety disorders.

The health ministry said there is a need to rectify long working hours and enable workers to get more sleep so they can maintain a healthy mental state.

(Xinhua/NAN)