Go home and multiply

CNN reports:

“Even before one reaches the front door of Canon's headquarters in Tokyo, one can sense the virtual stampede of employees pouring out of the building exactly at 5:30 p.m.

In a country where 12-hour workdays are common, the electronics giant has taken to letting its employees leave early twice a week for a rather unusual reason: to encourage them to have more babies.

Japan is in the midst of an unprecedented recession, so corporations are being asked to work toward fixing another major problem: the country's low birthrate”

Employees of Canon, a leading manufacturer of copiers, certainly ought to know how to multiply. (“I have two daughters, the original is named Kate; the other one is DupliKate.)