Tokyo’s government is introducing a four-day week for its staff in an attempt to help working mothers and boost Japan’s plunging fertility rate.

The plan, which is due to start in April, will allow civil servants to take a more flexible approach to working hours alongside other reforms aimed at improving work-life balance.

“Now is the time for Tokyo to take the initiative to protect and enhance the lives, livelihoods and economy of our people during these challenging times for the nation,” said Yuriko Koike, the city’s governor, when she unveiled the plan this week.

“We will review work styles … with flexibility, ensuring no one has to give up their career due to life events such as childbirth or childcare,” she added.

Japan is grappling with a demographic crisis with a fast-ageing population and tumbling fertility rates, which sank to an all-time low last year, threatening to further shrink the country’s workforce.

Last year, the fertility rate – the number of children born per woman of childbearing age – dropped to a record low of 1.2, according to Japan’s health and labour ministry. A rate of 2.1 is needed for a population to remain stable.