Japan Rules Toyota Engineer Did Indeed Die From Overwork
TOKYO — The Japanese labor bureau has ruled that a top Toyota engineer’s death in 2006 was in the line of duty — agreeing with the claim that he died directly from overwork. The ruling will let his family collect employee benefits. The 45-year-old man was the lead engineer in the development of the Toyota Camry Hybrid.
The employee, whose name was withheld at his family’s request, averaged more than 80 hours of overtime each month in the two months preceding his death in January 2006. He passed away of ischemic heart disease in the midst of preparing a vehicle for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Death from overwork is common enough in Japan that there is a specific term for it in Japanese: karoshi, and even a karoshi hotline and Web site devoted to the issue.
What this means to you: This is the unpleasant underside of an economy and culture devoted to continuous achievement. — Mike Lysaght, Correspondent