I've only worked in Western Europe, and regular social activities in the workplace have been a common feature, across countries. Usually either as a weekly lunch outing or post-lunch activity (e.g. daily foosball or Friday timeout (beers optional)).

They were all during work hours, though.

EDIT: also, the level of "officialness" varied. Some were organized by the company, others by the direct manager of a team, and others by the employees themselves on a more personal basis.