Inside Japan - Karōshi: Death by Overwork
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Working oneself to death. This was the sad reality for Matsuri, a 24-year-old woman who committed suicide after intense moral and psychological pressure from her job; the case became Japan's most iconic (more details throughout the article). Unfortunately, this is also the case for thousands of Japanese: karōshi (過労死), or death from overwork.
The term emerged in 1978, referring to the growing number of people suffering fatal heart attacks and strokes attributed to overwork; however, it wasn't until 1982 that the Ministry of Health published a report using the term for the first time. The first reported case in the country occurred much earlier, in 1969, when a 29-year-old man suffered a stroke after numerous consecutive shifts and strong psychological pressure to keep working at one of Japan's largest newspaper companies.
The World Health Organization (yes, the phenomenon has become universal, with an average of 750,000 annual deaths worldwide) recognizes workweeks exceeding 55 hours and deaths caused by stroke, mental collapse, suicide, and cardiovascular diseases as part of Karoshi Syndrome. It's important to note that death must have occurred instantly or within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms.
Karoshi in Numbers
2,968. This is the official number of deaths from Karoshi in 2022 alone, according to an official report from the Japanese government. More than 8 people per day! However, according to the National Council of Defense for Karōshi Victims, the real numbers could reach 10,000 per year. To give you an idea, recognized cases of mental illness due to work overload alone totaled 883 cases in 2024.
The problem is so prevalent in Japan that for a death to be considered due to karōshi, the victim needs to have:
- Worked 80 overtime hours for two consecutive months or more in the preceding 6 months, or;
- Worked more than 100 overtime hours in the month prior to their death.
In these cases, when karōshi is officially proven, the victim's family is entitled to receive US$20,000 per year from the government, and company compensation that can reach US$1.6 million. But there's a catch: these compensations often take years to be paid, and in some cases never happen.
According to recent research, more than 25% of Japanese companies have employees working over 80 extra hours per month, and 12% working more than 100 additional hours. Although companies may believe these overtime hours are an advantage for their profitability, in reality, all this additional work proves counterproductive, because despite Japan being one of the countries that works the most worldwide, it is the least productive of all those in the G7 group (formed by some of the most developed economies in the world).
Data and Statistics Showing the Consequences of Exhausting Work Hours
1. Cases where compensation was awarded due to work-related mental illnesses
What Really Causes This Phenomenon?
Some of the main reasons contributing to the occurrence of Karoshi are:
- Culture of invisible overtime (not officially recorded and often unpaid by the company). Most of the time, these shifts exceed 80 overtime hours per month;
- Despite being entitled to 20 vacation days per year, 35% of Japanese workers don't use them — and even among those who do take time off, the average recorded in 2022 was only 10.9 days.
- Culture of extreme loyalty, with strong social pressure not to "give up" – we will see next the case of salarymen which illustrates exactly this;
- Work transfers without family; long commutes and crowded trains – some Japanese report more than 4 hours of public transport per day;
- Lack of sleep, irregular eating, and absence of social life (working more than 80 additional hours per month, how can one find time to go out with friends, eat healthily every day, and prioritize a good night's sleep?)
The Eye of the Storm: Discover the Harsh Reality of Salarymen
Salarymen (サラリーマン) are known as the symbol of corporate loyalty. They are the typical Japanese office workers, dedicating themselves literally body and soul to the company. They perform extremely long hours, mostly unpaid overtime; in addition, they are obligated to participate in corporate events after work.
In Japan, corporate culture works as follows: 1st in ranking are events considered unique, such as weddings and funerals. Next is work. Salarymen, for example, place the company above their own health, family, and personal life (yes, these are 3rd in the ranking).
Work literally becomes a deadly burden. Showing interest in one's personal life harms employees' image, and when they do not meet the company's expectations of loyalty, they are ridiculed and devalued by their colleagues and superiors, and can be fired.
Unfortunately, despite new Japanese labor laws, this system remains strong, being the main cause of karōshi deaths.
This video shows the shocking reality of salarymen. Note: it is 7 years old, so its data and statistics may be outdated.
Preventive Measures in the Fight Against Karōshi
Following the repercussion of many absurd cases of moral, physical, and psychological abuse that led to the deaths of thousands of Japanese, some measures have been taken since the increase in karōshi cases in Japan.
- Campaigns like "Premium Friday" are being adapted in more and more companies (though still a small number): on the last Friday of the month, employees have the right to leave work at 3 PM. And, in some offices, lights are turned off at 7 PM to "force" employees to go home "early."
- Karoshi Hotline Program: Launched in 1992 by trade unions and worker support groups, it is a direct hotline for reporting and guiding potential victims and families affected by overwork. It is free, anonymous, and temporary, operating 1 to 2 times a year.
- The country promulgated a law in 2014 focused on increasing public awareness, supporting victims and families, funding research and public policies aimed at mental health at work, and collecting and disseminating annual statistics on work-related illnesses.
- Stress Check Program (2015): a mandatory annual psychological examination in companies with more than 50 employees. Its objective is to identify early signs of occupational stress, allow workers to reflect on their mental health, and, when necessary, request consultations with occupational doctors. It is confidential and voluntary.
AI in the Fight Against Burnout: A New Frontier Against Karōshi
A recently applied technique is the use of artificial intelligence to detect and monitor signs of burnout. It is similar to the Stress Check Program, but in this case, AI analyzes vocal patterns to identify high signs of stress in employees.
The results are also confidential, where the company directly receives compiled data so that it can offer personalized support, such as access to mental health professionals, sleep therapy, among other stress relief methods.
The objective of this innovation is to treat employees' unhealthy relationships with work, bringing more balance, care, and awareness between professional and personal life.
Terrifying Karōshi Cases: When Work Exceeds All Limits
- Mr. A, 34 years old, worked at a large food company. He managed to complete an impressive 110 hours per week (even if Mr. A worked 7 days a week, that's almost 16 hours a day!). He died of a sudden heart attack. His death was recognized as work-related; however, the recognition unfortunately came too late.
- Mr. B, a 37-year-old bus driver, worked more than 3,000 hours per year. In the 15 days leading up to his fatal stroke, he did not have a single day off. His journey ended behind the wheel — no rest, no break, no choice.
- Mr. C, 58 years old, worked at a large printing company in Tokyo, with a workload of 4,320 hours annually (if he worked every day of the year, without a single day off, that's more than 11 hours daily!), including night shifts. He tragically died of a stroke. His widow only received compensation 14 years after his death, after a long and painful legal battle.
- Ms. D, a nurse of only 22 years old, suffered a fatal heart attack. She did continuous 34-hour shifts, five times a month. A life dedicated to saving others, cut short before she even began to truly live her own.
Is Working 84 Hours in 4 Days Humanly Possible?
Get a first-hand account of F. Shimizu, 41, a worker for a world-famous convenience store chain. In his testimony, he recounts that he worked a total of 84 hours in just 4 days!
The outcome of this story is shocking and deeply revealing. Watch his full testimony here (starting at 19:50) and discover the price paid for extreme exhaustion.
The Case That Shocked Japan and Exposed the Price of Loyalty
The most well-known case in Japan occurred in 2015, when Matsuri Takahashi, a recently graduated 24-year-old woman, committed suicide after continuous moral harassment and exhausting hours at the company where she worked – Dentsu, one of Japan's largest advertising agencies.
The company's perverse culture included the so-called "10 Rules of the Devil." Some of the main ones were:
- "If an older employee works until 4 AM, younger ones must do the same."
- "If you receive a project, do not abandon it — even if you die."
And that's exactly what ended up happening! Just before her suicide, Matsuri posted some disturbing phrases on her Twitter (now X) account (including the quote at the beginning of the article):
"I'm working 20 hours a day and I don't know why I'm living anymore."
"I want to die."
"I'm physically and mentally destroyed."
"It's 4 AM. My body is shaking... I just can't take it anymore. I'm going to die. I'm exhausted."
Her mother, Yukimi Takahashi, publicly reported that Matsuri was instructed to hide her overtime hours in internal reports — so that she would not exceed the monthly additional hour limit. In practice, she worked more than 100 overtime hours per month. Such concealment is very frequent, as labor laws in Japan at that time allowed a maximum of 70 monthly overtime hours, frequently exceeded by employees of Japanese companies.
What was the repercussion of Matsuri Takahashi's case?
Her death generated national commotion and forced the Japanese government to react. The Dentsu company was held legally responsible, and its headquarters were even subjected to a police raid, a rare occurrence in corporate cases in Japan.
As an institutional response, the government created the Labor Reform Law in 2018, establishing a legal limit of 45 overtime hours per month, in addition to reinforcing public awareness and stress prevention campaigns, such as the Stress Check Program mentioned earlier.
Matsuri's suicide was officially recognized as work-related (karōjisatsu*), which allowed her mother, Yukimi Takahashi, to receive compensation through the national labor compensation system.
*karōjisatsu is the term used in Japan to define suicides caused by overwork and extreme occupational stress. It is considered a form of karōshi with psychological origins, and usually involves moral harassment, abusive hours, and constant pressure for performance.
Life is Worth More Than a Badge
Karōshi is not an individual tragedy. It is a social, institutional, and cultural failure that will only end when the unacceptable stops being accepted. What these stories show is not just a system failure, but a culture that still measures human value by productivity. And as long as company loyalty is more important than life, work will continue to silently corrode employees in Japan and around the world, leading to death.
However, there is another path! Where work doesn't rhyme with sacrifice, but with purpose, dignity, and well-being. But this path only begins when a person decides that life is worth more than a badge. After all, work should and must strengthen us mentally and make us capable professionals, but also capable of balancing life and career with dignity. Not kill us in silence.
Ultimately, how long will success be measured by the ability to destroy oneself in the name of the company?
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