"Karoshi" - one more reason to be here

<b>Japan Reports Record Deaths From Overwork</b>
May 24, 2002 9:33 am EST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan, famed as a nation of workaholics, said on Wednesday the number of deaths from overwork -- known as karoshi -- leapt 68 percent to a record 143 in the year ended in March.

A survey conducted by the Health Ministry showed the number of work-related deaths stemming from stress, mental disorder or depression nearly doubled to 70 in 2001/02 (April/March) from the pervious year.

Of the total, 31 were suicides.

Health Ministry officials said the number of deaths from overwork could continue to rise as Japanese companies shift from the traditional life-time employment system to a wage-system based on merit rather than seniority that is resulting in people putting in longer and longer hours to try to keep their jobs.

Of those who died of overwork in 2001/02 -- 133 men and 10 women -- 49 were in their 50s and 38 in their 40s.

"We fear that the number of 'karoshi' may continue to increase partly because work-related pressure is likely to build up on workers," a ministry official said.

The official attributed the surge in the number of officially recognized "karoshi," the largest since the ministry first carried out the survey in 1987, mainly to changes in standards by which labor inspectors study the link between overwork and death.

The new standards adopted in December require inspectors to take into account an employee's working conditions over a six-month period before the time of death. Previously, only the week leading up to a death was looked at in assessing whether overwork was to blame.

The new standards stress that there is a strong link between karoshi and overtime of more than 100 hours in the final month, and with overtime of more than 80 hours per month for two to six months before death.

"Accumulated fatigue and stress" due to work was also added to the list of factors accepted as leading to karoshi.

Karoshi became a buzzword in the 1980s when the Japanese worker secured a reputation for spending countless hours at work and putting work before hobbies, social commitments and even family.