RT: by Kim Kyung Hoon –
In Japan, karoshi – meaning “death from overwork” – claims around 200 lives annually, according to the Ministry of Labor. Karoshi victims literally work themselves into an early grave, with some giving up to 110 hours a week to their jobs and leaving almost no time for rest. Karoshi is mainly caused by cardiovascular attacks aggravated by a heavy workload, stress, and long working hours.
Japan’s Supreme Court has thrown out an appeal by a group of activists demanding that the government name companies whose employees have died from being overworked.
In March 2009, the civic group requested that the Osaka Labor Bureau name companies within its jurisdiction that paid compensation within the past seven years for employees who died from strokes, heart attacks, and other health problems determined to be related to work, The Japan Times reported.
