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Record number worked to death in Japan last year

A record number of Japanese people literally worked themselves to death last year despite a government campaign to ease the country's notorious office hours.

Some 355 workers fell severely ill or died from overwork in the year to March, the highest figure on record and 7.6 percent up from the previous year, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labor said.

Of these, 147 people died, many from strokes or heart attacks.

Death from overwork grew so common during Japan's post-World War II economic miracle that a word was coined for it, karoshi.

The government has been trying to address the problem by promoting telecommuting and encouraging workers to take leave when they start families or need to care for elderly parents.

But as Japan's economy posts a record-long expansion, critics point to the rising number of part-time jobs, saying new employees lack the security that would allow them to resist pressure to overwork.

Mentally troubled workers killed themselves or attempted to do so in 176 cases, of which a record 66 cases were found eligible for benefits, the ministry report said.

Japan has one of the world's highest suicide rates with the figure topping 30,000 for an eighth straight year in 2005.

Also see story:
Japan embraces teleworking

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