The news that a young reporter at Japan’s public broadcaster had worked herself to death came as little surprise to those inside the country’s media, where a culture of excessively long hours has become the norm. “I thought it would happen eventually because we work…
The news that a young reporter at Japan’s public broadcaster had worked herself to death came as little surprise to those inside the country’s media, where a culture of excessively long hours has become the norm.
“I thought it would happen eventually because we work like crazy… like a slave,” said a journalist at one of Japan’s major newspapers.
“I really thought I would die,” she told AFP on condition of anonymity, recalling her days chasing after the prime minister and lawmakers in Tokyo, when she would routinely come home from work at 1:00 am and wake up four hours later.
While journalists tend to work long hours in many countries, the situation in Japan is among the most extreme, with reporters expected to be on the job 24-7.
The newspaper journalist — now in her 30s — was one of a gang of hardcore Japanese reporters who stake out the houses of politicians they were assigned to follow every single night whether there is news or not — a ritual called “Yomawari,” meaning “night round”.
Even on a snowy night, she used to wait hours outside the house of a politician she was covering.
“I had disposable hand warmers everywhere on my body but it was still too cold. I couldn’t go to the bathroom. It’s bad for your health,” she said, adding that she’s seen fellow journalists becoming physically and mentally ill.
And forget the weekend, she added, as political reporters chase lawmakers back to their constituencies on Friday night.
A former Tokyo TV reporter pointed the finger at the Japanese culture of “fighting spirit,” in which you’re told to never give up no matter what.
The 32-year-old, who was no stranger to working around the clock, remembers the day she kept going even though she felt seriously ill.
