Japanese labour inspectors have determined that the suicide of a 23-year-old man who worked at Tokyo’s new Olympic stadium construction site stemmed from overwork
Japanese labour inspectors have determined that the suicide of a 23-year-old man who worked at Tokyo’s new Olympic stadium construction site stemmed from overwork, and that his family was eligible for government compensation.
Hiroshi Kawahito, a lawyer representing the bereaved family, said that the victim, in charge of quality control of materials at the stadium site, recorded 190 hours of overtime in one month before killing himself in March, according to Japan’s NHK public television. The worker had been in the role for less than a year.
The amount of overtime was way over 80 hours, a threshold for karoshi (death from overwork). Labour officials in Tokyo found the victim, who was not identified by name, also recorded 160 hours of overtime in January.
Work at the new stadium has been intense because of its delayed start. An earlier stadium plan was scrapped due to spiralling costs and an unpopular design. On an average day, about 1,000 workers are at the project led by Taisei Corp, Japan’s construction giant.
The death of the worker captured national attention in July when his family sought the government to certify him as a karoshi victim. The body of the man was found in the central Japan mountains in April, weeks after he disappeared, with a suicide note saying he was “physically and mentally pushed to the limit”.
