The Japanese government is trying to stop people from working themselves to death
The Japanese government has announced measures to prohibit the amount of overtime an employee can do – to prevent them from working themselves to death.
According to a government survey, a fifth of Japan’s workforce are at risk of death by overworking, or Karoshi as it is known, as they work more than 80 hours of overtime a week.
Several high profile suicide cases have also prompted the government to take action, including the death of a prolific advertising executive who took her life after working 100 extra hours a month.
Now, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to impose a cap on the amount of overtime that can be taken every month – and a government scheme known as ‘Premium Friday’ will launch next month.
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The campaign, which has been led by the Japan Business Federation, will allow workers to clock off an hour early on the last Friday of every month.
But detractors of the scheme say that the nationwide membership of the Japan Business Federation is relatively small and will do little to readdress the work/life balance.
According to Bloomberg, government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga claimed that Japan needs to end ‘the norm of long working hours so people can balance their lives with things like raising a child or taking care of the elderly.’
The ruling comes shortly after Japan’s labour ministry referred Mitsubishi to prosecutors on suspicion of forcing a 31-year-old male employee to do excessive overtime.
