Japan, suicide, overwork, depression, mental illness, karoshi, salaryman

The word "karoshi" came into common use around 1990, when Japanese workers began working longer hours in response to competition from overseas and the recession at the time. Despite increased awareness of the dangers of overwork, de-regulation and increased global competition means that Japanese workers are working harder than ever.

About 20 years ago, heart attacks or strokes were a symbol of ‘karoshi’ in Japan. Today, workers are committing suicide. Of the more than 30,000 suicides recorded 2009, 10,000 were believed to be related to work, according to data from the national police agency. Suicide triggered by overwork is particularly prevalent among white color workers, also known as “salarymen” in Japan. Salarymen devote long work hours and loyalty to companies in exchange for a life-time of employment and benefits. With the recession of the 1990s and the lifting of a ban on the use of cheap temporary laborers, salarymen increasingly work longer hours because of a shortage of manpower and the fear of losing jobs.

A salaryman sleeps standing up in a late train in Tokyo, Japan.
   
LEFT: Tokyo skyscrapers. Japanese log some of the longest hours in the developed countries. Much of the overtime worked goes unreported. Vacation days often go untaken. RIGHT: As many as three in five Japanese claimed they had been ill or felt unhealthy because of workplace conditions. That was markedly higher than the global average of 19 percent.
   
Setsuko Nanbu, 65, holding her late husband's jacket, is surrounded by his bags. Her husband committed suicide in 2004. He jumped in front of a train, leaving a suicide note in his pocket that says, "I'm sorry. I can't work anymore. I don't know why. I’m really sorry to cause so much trouble for the company.” He repeated the apology more than 20 times. Setsuko says, “Many people apologize in their suicide note. I think it’s because they know it’s wrong to commit suicide. But they are in such a pain that they feel like death is the only wayto escape from the pain and be relieved. “
     
  
   
Hideko Shimamura, 48, shows the last text message from her husband, Masayoshi. It says, “Thank you for everything. I’m sorry.” He committed suicide in 2009, from depression brought on by excessive overwork.
   
     
  
   
A salaryman sleeps standing up as he waits on a commuter train platform.
  
LEFT: Salarymen flock to a late-night food stand in Tokyo, Japan. “ My husband always worked late and rarely ate dinner with family. He was absent from family life. We lived like a single-mother household. “ says Kinmi Ohashi, 60, whose husband, Hitoshi committed suicide. RIGHT: Salarymen play pachinko after work in Tokyo, Japan.
     
  
Salarymen take the last train home. According to a government survey in 2005, 23.4 % of male workers in their 30s work longer than 60 hours a week.
  
Salarymen work late night in an office in Tokyo, Japan.
   
Syota Nakahara, 30, a former systems engineer, has been suffering from depression for 6 years, which was caused by excessive over-work, sleep deprivation and stress. He sued the company for unpaid overtime and won the lawsuit in 2006 but is still unable to return to work. Syota says, “ I used to work from 8am to 3am for nearly 6 months. I was psychologically on the edge. I could not register scenery around me. I couldn’t tell what day it was, nor which season. The only thing I could see was the entrance to the company and the computer on my desk. I could not hear any sound around me and my vision was really narrow and blurred. I could not even hear my boss’s voice.”
     
  
   
LEFT: Anti-depressants taken by Masayoshi Shimamura, who committed suicide in 2009. The stigma of depression is still very strong in Japan. Many people suffering from depression hide it from coworkers and sometime even family members.
  
Compensation for damages for suicide is a huge burden on family members. If he jumps from a building and body fluid stained the apartment’s wall, the building management demands to change the wall, which costs a fortune. If he jumps in front of a train, compensation for damages ranges from a few thousand dollars to nearly a million dollars.
     
  
Hideko Shimamura, 48, still sleeps on the side of the bed she used to share with her husband.
   
A jacket that belonged to Akira Teranishi,.who jumped from a building on Valentine’s day. “I gave him a chocolate. I asked him if he could take a day off, “ says his wife, Emiko, “And he said ‘ I can’t. We don't have enough manpower..’ That was our last conversation. He never came home. “