Karoshi is a Japanese word that translates as “death by overwork” and it describes the Japanese phenomena of company employees dying from conditions such as heart attacks or strokes specifically caused by the stress of too much work. Karoshi has gained much attention in Japan since the 1980s when it was first recognized as a legitimate cause of death. This caused Japan to question its corporate culture and some Japanese companies – in part, reacting to an increase in compensation claims by families affected by karoshi – put in place policies to help employees achieve a greater work-life balance.
In 1988, the Chicago Tribune was the first English language publication to introduce karoshi to its readers, describing it as a “disturbing phenomenon [which] has been linked directly to too much toil and too little play”; though this is a somewhat watered down description of the problem. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution (1990) offers a more in-depth description of karoshi stating, “The victims of karoshi—defined as a lethal mix of apoplexy, high blood pressure and stress related to too many hours on the job—are middle managers and supervisors in their 40s and 50s in good health”.
Karoshi is not so much the result of heavy workloads, but a consequence of the Japanese mindset that putting in long days (more than twelve hours a day and very limited amounts of annual leave) equals greater output and shows solidarity with your team and commitment to your company. Japan is a collectivist culture where the needs of the group are greater than those of the individual, so expecting to go home early when you’ve finished your work when those around you are still working is met with disapproval. And despite the fact that there are labour laws surrounding working hours, deep-set attitudes within corporate culture prevent people from actually recording overtime and even questioning the daily need for it. Beyond the four walls of the company, people talk about work-life balance, but the pressure to “keep up appearances” is everywhere in Japanese culture and no one expects you to come home at 6:00.
On any weekday in Japan, you can board an early commuter train on the outskirts of the city and find Japanese salarymen (white collar workers) starting their daily commute which, in a city such as Tokyo, can be anything up to a four hour round trip. After the morning journey, where the lucky few can grab a seat and catch another hour’s sleep, employees start their long working day which, inevitably, continues late into the evening. On the last trains leaving the city at night, these same salarymen can be seen slumped in their seats on the train fast asleep. For married men, a hot meal and bath awaits them at home, followed by a few hours sleep which might just be enough to revive them for the next day.
Karoshi exists because of the demand for full commitment to the company which is proved by the number of hours you put in and Japanese employees are literally killing themselves to try and keep up.
