Karoshi: The Japanese Term for “Death from Overwork”

In December, 2015, a 24-year-old Japanese worker named Matsuri Takahashi died after she jumped from her home in her company dormitory housing. Ms. Takahashi worked for one of Japan’s largest advertising agencies, and her death shook the nation and exposed a dangerous phenomenon for Japanese workers. It turns out that Ms. Takahashi, who worked for Dentsu, Inc., a company well-known for their extreme and “rigorous” working culture, had worked over 100 hours of overtime in a month consistently, which led to her untimely death. Ms. Takahashi had reached out in pain and exhaustion from the extreme overtime hours and work culture, writing on Twitter, “It’s 4 a.m. My body’s trembling. I’m going to die. I’m so tired”. She also posted another cry for help on the site, “I’m physically and emotionally shattered.”

In response to Ms. Takahashi’s tragic death, Japan promulgated the Workstyle Reform Act in 2018, which makes it illegal for Japanese employees to work more than 45 hours of overtime in one single month (55 hours less than Ms. Takahashi was consistently working for Dentsu).

Worker Accidents Due to Overwork in the United States

In the United States, there are no federal laws that limit the number of overtime hours that workers can work, whether in a single month, week, or other measure of time. In fact, federal laws only require that employers compensate workers for overtime in accordance with federal laws (and state overtime laws also apply, and may afford workers more protections). Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in the United States, workers who are covered by the Act must be compensated at the appropriate overtime rate for any time worked beyond 40 hours in a workweek. Simply put, there is no cap on the number of hours that American workers can work, which may also lead to overwork in the United States.

Justice for Workers who are Injured on the Job in Mississippi

Although there are currently no laws that cap overtime hours for employees in Mississippi, it is important for Mississippi workers to know their rights if they are injured on the job and become unable to work due to their workplace injury. Under Mississippi workers’ compensation laws, most workers who are seriously injured at work are entitled to important money benefits to help them get back on their feet and back to their regular work. If you are interested in finding out if you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits for your workplace injury in Mississippi, it is best to speak with an experienced Mississippi workers’ compensation lawyer as soon as possible after a serious workplace accident occurs.

The experienced Mississippi workers’ compensation lawyers at Lunsford Baskin & Priebe, PLLC are here to help Mississippi workers get workers’ compensation benefits due. They offer a free and confidential consultation to learn about your case and to see if they can help fight for you. Contact the experienced Mississippi workers’ compensation lawyers at Lunsford Baskin & Priebe, PLLC today and speak to a lawyer about your rights and options for free.

Source:

pulitzercenter.org/stories/karoshi-deep-look-japans-unforgiving-working-culture