Japan May Soon Legally Force Office Workers To Take Days Off

Especially considering all the three-day weekends we take -- Martin Luther King Day weekend ring any bells? -- Americans may want to stop complaining after reading this.

In an attempt to cut down on work-related cases of depression and suicide, the Japanese parliament is considering making it mandatory for workers to take five days of paid leave per year.

It is estimated that up to 8,000 out of 30,000 suicides in Japan each year are work-related and that at least 10,000 non-suicide deaths each year can be attributed to work-related exhaustion. In 2013, employees took an average of nine paid vacation days out of the 18.5 they were entitled. Meanwhile, one in six workers took no paid time off at all.

Stick it to the man and read more about this from Vice.