Workaholic Japan has unveiled its first-ever plan to limit overtime, but critics want to give it the boot, saying an
TOKYO: Workaholic Japan has unveiled its first-ever plan to limit overtime, but critics want to give it the boot, saying an « outrageous » 100-hour-a-month cap will do nothing to tackle karoshi, or death from overwork.
Tokyo’s bid to ease a national health crisis comes after the top executive at advertising giant Dentsu quit late last year in response to the suicide of a young employee who regularly logged more than 100 hours of overtime a month.
The death of Matsuri Takahashi generated nationwide headlines, prompting the government to come up with a solution to punishing work hours blamed for hundreds of deaths due to strokes, heart attacks and suicides every year.
A panel headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has since come up with a plan calling for a maximum of 100 overtime hours a month. The conservative leader called it a « historic step for changing the way people work in Japan » but critics think the plan should be given its marching orders.
The Labour Lawyers’ Association of Japan has slammed the proposed cap as « extremely inappropriate » and « impossible to support ». « It’s tantamount to endorsing a limit that could cause overwork deaths, » said Association head Ichiro Natsume.
Others who have lost loved ones to karoshi agree.
« We cannot accept this – it’s outrageous, » said Emiko Teranishi, who heads a group for relatives of karoshi victims. « I thought the government was finally going to tackle the issue … But this has turned out to be (a) step backward rather than a step forward.
