By Kayoko Redford
Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer

The International Labor Organization in 1970 revised an international convention to require employers to grant workers three weeks of paid annual holiday--at least two of which must be taken in a row--on top of sick leave and customary holidays. Around the same time, death from overwork began receiving media attention in Japan, which has yet to ratify the convention. In the late 1980s, such reports were frequent enough to make the phenomenon a serious social issue, and a term to refer to such deaths--karoshi--was invented. In light of the nation's economic woes following the bursting of the bubble economy, the number of karoshi cases continues to grow as the unemployment rate increases. The Daily Yomiuri discussed the issue with lawyer Hiroshi Kawahito, secretary general of the National Defense Council for Victims of Karoshi.

Daily Yomiuri: How many karoshi deaths have there reportedly been?

Kawahito discusses the issue of karoshi at his Tokyo office.

Kawahito: At least 10,000 people die from overwork annually, I think, but the figure could be as much as 30,000 or even 50,000. In addition to karoshi victims, many people suffer strokes and other serious illnesses due to overwork. Such victims often become paralyzed or suffer from other illnesses that leave them unable to work. Aside from karoshi victims, many people suffer from fatal illnesses related to overwork.

Does karoshi, which has been adopted into the English language, also occur in other countries?

Similar phenomena have been reported in other countries, including the United States and South Korea. The South Korean economy's growth was similar to Japan's and incidents of karoshi have been reported there. Victims in the United States are usually elite businesspeople in the financial sector, such as Wall Street stockbrokers. This is different from the situation in Japan, where karoshi cases are reported in all sectors.

What are some of the factors behind karoshi?

Economic globalization has deeply affected our country since the early 1980s. International time differences have created the need for Japanese workers to work late at night, when European and U.S. economies are active. Many people currently work during the day when the Japanese economy is active and continue into the next day to compete in other economies. Long work hours have become routine, particularly in the financial sector. As a result, key industries, and then the service industry, have begun to follow suit. Convenience stores, for example, began operating 24 hours a day in the mid-1980s. Many industries outside the financial sector have been affected by the global economy.

Throughout history, humans have lived by a 24-hour cycle in which they work during the day and rest at night. Working late at night is threatening this long-held cycle and destroying personal health.

Are there any other major factors that cause death from overwork?

Economic globalization is not the only factor behind karoshi. The combination of excessive competition among Japanese companies and globalization further aggravates health conditions.

To draw a comparison, boxing is one of the most physically demanding sports. Two people wearing very little protection hit each other until one of them falls. Some boxers suffer injuries and others die. However, even in boxing there are safety precautions in place, like the ropes around the ring and the bells to signal the end of rounds, to put limitations of time and space on the sport.

Do competitive Japanese companies observe similar restrictions? Human bodies require at least six hours of sleep every day to stay active and alert. Economic globalization has overcome geographic limitations, forcing "corporate warriors" to compete at the global level. Japanese corporate warriors continue to fight to the death without any ropes or bells.

Why has the situation become so extreme?

In our culture, there are no internal factors that restrict us from working. There is no religious custom that prevents us from working on certain days. Our whole society is controlled by a single value. Our society believes that greater efficiency, superior services and more competition are better and, therefore, continues to seek them. There is no final goal in raising productivity.

But, in a sense, competition and hard work have built up the Japanese economy and brought affluence to the country and people, haven't they?

Banks, trading companies and other sectors should compete within the framework of eight-hour business periods. Late-night work to accommodate time differences should be performed in shifts. I can't imagine that such a change would hinder the Japanese economy. Efficiency and competitiveness will continue to be important in a modern economic society. This has clearly been proven by the economic failures of Russia and Eastern Europe. Japan, however, has become an excessively efficient and competitive society, one that goes far beyond reasonable levels.

The deaths of corporate warriors from overwork should teach us a lesson. What is the value of all this corporate competition? How does the competition for international trade mainly between the nation's six major trading companies, benefit Japanese and people all over the world? I do not deny the importance of trading companies; Japan has few natural resources. But is it really necessary for the good of society for Japanese trading company workers to work such excessively long hours?

Annual work hours in Japan are said to have decreased from about 2,200 in 1988 to about 1,980 in 1997, a 10 percent decrease.

Statistics announced by the Labor Ministry hardly reflect the real situation because the data does not include unpaid overtime work. Companies do not inform the ministry of their employees' actual work hours, only overtime work for which employees are paid. When employees work 12 hours a day during a five-day business week, they work a total of 3,000 hours in one year. A study I conducted following a karoshi case involving a banker estimates that male bankers work an average of about 3,000 hours each year and the average work hours of both male and female bankers easily exceeds 2,500 hours each year.

Unpaid overtime work is not limited to the financial and insurance sectors. It is also common practice for sales staff and office workers in other sectors. In excluding unpaid overtime hours, the Labor Ministry's data conceals the reality of Japanese workplaces, where work hours are far too long.

According to a survey conducted by the Management and Coordination Agency, men worked an average of 2,617 hours in 1990, while women worked 2,409 hours. The agency gets information directly from workers. I strongly believe the Labor Ministry should improve the way it collects data on work hours.

Of the estimated 10,000 karoshi cases each year, what percentage of bereaved families file work-related compensation claims with labor standard inspection offices?

About 500 to 600. I believe about 200 to 300 lawsuits are currently under way and an estimated 100 bereaved families file lawsuits each year.

What percentage of the 500 to 600 claims have been approved by labor authorities?

About 15 percent, or 90 cases. The figure is higher than in the past. It was only 3 percent or so about 10 years ago.

What prompted this change?

The situation has changed partly because the criteria to recognize deaths caused by overwork have been improved and the Labor Ministry has begun to consider that it may have been too inflexible on the issue in the past. If even 1,000 of the 10,000 deaths from overwork each year were recognized as karoshi, it would be enough to have a significant social impact.

Compensation is paid out of work-related accident insurance plans managed by labor standards inspection offices, and there are ample funds to provide compensation for deaths from overwork. According to an Economic Planning Agency report, funds for work-related accident compensation is sufficient to cover 1,000 karoshi cases each year.

How do companies react when employees die from overwork?

I feel that Japanese companies can be very cool when dealing with karoshi cases, which are in a way similar to military deaths. However, there is a clear difference between the two cases. When soldiers die in battle, their deaths are honored and their families receive compensation. On the other hand, when corporate warriors die from overwork, their deaths are not praised but, rather, they are sometimes harshly criticized and most of their families do not receive any sort of compensation.

To eliminate karoshi incidents and solve problems caused by overwork, companies must recognize karoshi as a work-related accident and learn more about the problem.

In July 1990, the family of a female employee of a Fuji Bank branch in Kabutocho, Tokyo, who died at 23, filed a lawsuit against the bank claiming she had died from overwork because they could not tolerate the bank's reaction to her death. The company refused the family's request to support their application for work-related accident compensation and would not disclose work-hours records, claiming it had not assigned her excessive duties. In court, the bank said employees at the branch did not work overtime hours without pay.

The suit was settled in November 1994. The bank agreed a settlement payment to the plaintiffs. As a condition for the settlement, however, both parties recognized that there was no causal relationship between the employee's death and her work.

On the other hand, when the family of a Mitsui and Co. employee who died from overwork applied for work-related accident compensation in November 1990, the trading company offered money to the family to express its condolences and promised to support its application. Mitsui should get credit for following through on its promise to support the family when the application procedure got under way. Partly because the case was reported in the media, some companies that had previously refused to offer compensation to families of employees who died from overwork changed their attitudes and became more sympathetic toward their deaths.

How can karoshi be prevented?

The social structure must change in many ways. For example, the government could strictly regulate work hours, and industries should reconsider and regulate working conditions.

Labor unions will also need to change. Unions are the largest organizations that ensure workers' rights by trying to keep in line competitive companies that place priority on economic efficiency. However, many labor unions have failed to deal with karoshi issues seriously.

At the same time, few managers believe that effective labor unions will benefit management in the long run. Most managers believe the weaker labor unions are, the better. Employees are little aware that individual workers are responsible for forming labor unions and many labor union members are inactive. A social consensus that healthy labor unions are also good for society is required.

At the same time, companies should develop a system to ensure that employees are not overworked. But regular workers are not the only ones who are dying. Employees from frontline workers to middle management employees and directors are dying from overwork. The current situation is not the same as in the past, when vicious capitalists chose not to work and instead exploited their employees. It is also different from the situation in foreign countries, where selected top management employees work long hours while regular employees work few overtime hours. In Japan, both presidents and frontline workers die from overwork, which indicates the seriousness of the issue.

Some people are very concerned that they will not be able to keep up with the competition if they work less, aren't they?

We should consider the difference between working 10 hours and 12 hours. In light of how difficult it is for many people who work long hours or even on weekends to unwind and relax, I believe their work habits may not be very efficient.

We need to establish a lifestyle and work pattern that enables us to protect our health, although I am aware this will be very difficult. It is important for individuals to place personal limits on their work schedules. We should have the courage to ignore obligations when necessary. Workers should place priority on their personal health rather than their company and colleagues.

Do you think we, as consumers, must also change our attitude of seeking the best?

We have to reevaluate our consumer society. One home-delivery service company's advertisement says, "We accept your selfish delivery order." This is a clear example of how excessively consumer-oriented we've become.

Drivers who deliver these "selfish" orders must work long hours into the night. Being able to get a package delivered anywhere in the country within a few days is accomplished through having drivers endure severe work conditions. This has led to karoshi cases and an increase in the number of traffic accidents. To achieve a fulfilling lifestyle with shorter work hours, we have to accept a drop in the quality of the service industry.