Yahoo is setting a commuting budget of ¥150,000 ($1,300) per month per worker and lifting its previous daily cap. In-person communication will still be encouraged as the initiative is also aimed at bolstering morale and well-being, with social gatherings to be subsidized by ¥5,000 per employee a month. The company has had an "office anywhere" remote work system in place since 2014, however it had capped the number of work-from-home days before the virus took hold to five days a month. Japanese companies have responded to the pandemic by embracing flexible work arrangements, which were rare before 2020 in a culture that once prided itself on direct interaction in the office and long working hours. Panasonic Corp. last week unveiled plans for a four-day workweek, an initiative Mizuho Financial Group Inc. already has under way.