[tz] time and cost to reprogram computers for DST in Japan

[Paul Eggert]

Florian Weimer wrote:
> some of this code has to be touched for the new era name
> anyway, and *that*  work is supposed to complete within a few months.
> (The last era transition was in 1989.)

Conversely, this could overload programmers responsible for time-and-date code, 
and these people are reasonably-scarce resources in Japan. This point was made 
today in the Yomiuri Shumbun:

"If the practice is indeed implemented as an experiment, starting in 2019, this 
would coincide with the systemic renewal that will accompany the scheduled 
change in the name of an era next spring. Burdens on the parts of companies and 
employees are likely to become heavier."

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0004670471

A bigger problem, to my mind, is another point made in the same piece. Japan has 
a long tradition of "You don't stop working until it's dark" which meant that 
the last time DST was tried, many people simply had to work another hour every 
day. This led to so much public discontent that DST was scrapped. What would be 
different this time?