Karoshi

Karoshi means “death from overwork.” Although the direct cause of death may often be a heart attack or stroke, the concept of karoshi implicates mental and physical exhaustion from an excessive workload over a long period of time as the underlying cause of such fatal physical ailment. The phenomenon first received public recognition in Japan in the 1980s, during the period of rapid economic growth and an increased work demand on corporate employees. Similar phenomena are also reported in other industrialized nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States.

Throughout the 20th century and particularly during the post-World War II era, Japanese corpō rations emphasized teamwork and employees' loyalty to the corporate collective as a means to increase efficiency and productivity. They developed a human resources strategy to nurture these values in their predominantly male core employees, including lifetime employment, or the practice of retaining their employees for the length of their career whenever possible, and seniority-based prō motion, or the pay scale that depends on the length of service, instead of performance or qualification of individual workers. Corporate employers rewarded their loyal core employees with generous compensation, both tangible and intangible, and encouraged social activities among employees to build a sense of belonging. In turn, male core employees, who are often referred to as “salarymen,” became highly dependent on their corporate employment, both financially and psychologically. In general, these strategies were highly successful, and Japanese corporations and the economy throughout the latter half of the 20th century greatly benefited from this system.

The emphasis on teamwork and loyalty has also had significant effects on the day-tōday work practice in Japanese corporations. Unpaid overtime—in which employees do not declare their overtime work and therefore perform additional duties without pay—has been a routine practice that workers often understood as necessary and obligatory at times of high work demand, even if their supervisors did not specifically ask. In addition, the majority of Japanese workers hesitate to leave work at the official closing time of 5 p.m. if anyone else in their team or section was staying behind. Finally, the line between work and leisure is often blurred, or even nonexistent, as many salarymen's social network is almost exclusively based in their world of work. Thus, after work social activities and weekend outings with coworkers, bosses, and/or clients cut further into already diminished personal time. As a popular 1980s television commercial portrayed, Japanese salarymen are expected to “work 24 hours a day” and be the most productive kigyo senshi (corporate warrior).

Within the context of this work environment, it is not at all surprising that karoshi became a major social issue in the 1980s, as Japan was entering the unprecedented baburu (or bubble) economic boom. During this period, Japan's economic machinery was literally in a frenzy, and there was, it seemed, always more money to be made, which meant for an ordinary salaryman, more work to be completed every day. Because of the deeply instilled ideology of corporate loyalty, many of these workers obliged without hesitation. It was not unusual for them to stay in the office until 11 p.m. or midnight, 6 to 7 days a week, and work 70 to 80 hours per week on a regular basis. If work hours in themselves seem inhumane, the pressure to meet tight deadlines and outdo ever-stiffening competition also exacerbated the level of stress that these workers experienced.

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