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Asia Minute: Dying for Work in Japan

Maxime Guilbot / Flickr
Maxime Guilbot / Flickr

The chief executive of Japan’s largest advertising agency is resigning. While that’s a headline in Japan, the reason behind the resignation is a broader story—one that touches on workplace culture, health, and change. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

 

In Japan, “death from overwork” is such a familiar concept there’s a word for it: “karoshi.”

It’s a word increasingly linked to one of the biggest names in corporate Japan.

Government labor officials say an investigation shows brutal expectations of overtime are part of the corporate culture at Dentsu—one of the largest advertising companies in the world.

The company’s CEO announced Wednesday that he’ll step down, to take responsibility for the death of Matsuri Takahashi—a 24 year old Dentsu worker who killed herself after less than a year on the job.

A government investigation ruled her death was because of too much work.

Records show she was putting in more than 100 hours of overtime a month.  Which breaks down to 12 hour days plus weekend work.

She told friends she sometimes stayed in the office until five in the morning and returned after a few hours of sleep.  Only to face criticism from her supervisors for coming to work with “bloodshot eyes and messy hair.”

A year ago this month, she jumped off a balcony of her company dorm.

Dentsu officials say they have changed some policies since then including shutting off the lights at corporate headquarters at 10 pm, so workers will head home.

But government investigators say Dentsu has also underreported overtime hours worked by dozens of other employees.

A criminal investigation of the company is still underway.

Bill Dorman has been the news director at Hawaiʻi Public Radio since 2011.
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