“Karoshi (Work to Death)” in Japan |
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Authors: | Atsuko Kanai |
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Institution: | (1) Research Institute for Sociology, University of Cologne, Christian-Gau-Str. 44, Cologne, 50933, Germany |
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Abstract: | Since the collapse of Japan’s bubble economy in the early 1990’s, the Japanese economy has only recovered slightly. This has
direct implications for employment. Both the seniority wage system and the lifetime employment system, which were popular
during the period of economic growth in Japan, unavoidably changed to an outcome-wage system. Now there is greater mobility
in employment, increased use of non-regular employees, and diversed working patterns. The problem of karoshi – a potentially
fatal syndrome resulting from long work hours – has been known since the early 1980s. This problem has become more serious
in recent years. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the economic and employment conditions in Japan,
as well as to examine the working lifestyle of Japanese men and its connection to “karoshi.” It is argued that (1) the long
work hours are not the preference of individuals, but rather the result of the adaptation to the work environment, and; (2)
solving this problem requires re-conceptualization of workers’ human rights on the part of both companies and the society
as a whole. |
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