Japanese man, 45, died of overwork.

[HughBeaumont]

Run, Rabbit Run
Dig that hole, forget the sun.
And when at last the work is done,
Don't sit down, it's time to dig another one.

TOKYO - A Japanese labor bureau has ruled that one of Toyota's top car engineers died from working too many hours, the latest in a string of such findings in a nation where extraordinarily long hours for some employees has long been the norm.

The man who died was aged 45 and had been under severe pressure as the lead engineer in developing a hybrid version of Toyota's blockbuster Camry line, said Mikio Mizuno, the lawyer representing his wife. The man's identity is being withheld at the request of his family, who continue to live in Toyota City where the company is based.

In the two months up to his death, the man averaged more than 80 hours of overtime per month, according to Mizuno.

He regularly worked nights and weekends, was frequently sent abroad and was grappling with shipping a model for the pivotal North American International Auto Show in Detroit when he died of ischemic heart disease in January 2006. The man's daughter found his body at their home the day before he was to leave for the United States.

(snip)

In a statement, Toyota Motor Corp. offered its condolences and said it would work to improve monitoring of the health of its workers.

Absolutely Amazing and Astounding.

more . . . http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080709/ap_on_bi_ge/japan_overwork_death

[HughBeaumont]

1. Kick, as this is already in LBN

[VOX]

2. *Karoshi* = death from overwork.

We in the United States used to think this was weird and funny in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Nobody's laughing now, as overwork/overload is now the norm most everywhere.

[undeterred]

3. He gave his life for his corporation...

isn't that where everyone's first loyalty should be? :sarcasm:

[HughBeaumont]

6. Two people where I used to work died of heart attacks at their jobs.

You know, because that's where I want MY last conscious vision . . . in a goddamned fabric-walled box. Not surrounded by family and friends or any of that nonsense.

[undeterred]

7. I had a supervior who started having chest pain at 38

and his doctor told him to quit his job. So he did. But he couldn't find another one, so two months later he came back. They took away some of his responsibilities. But 8 years later he's still there.

[dysfunctional press]

4. sucks to be him.

people who dedicate their lives to their employers are some of the biggest idiots out there; unless of course they're self-employed.

(for the grammar impaired- PLEASE take note of the proper use of their, there and they're- all in one sentence.)

[SoCalDem]

5. Ever see the documentary about the flipside of this phenomena?

watch it at : http://www.linktv.org/programs/retiredhusband

.......................................................
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/this_world/6099668.stm

Japan: Retired Husband Syndrome
This World examines a new phenomenon, estimated to affect some 60% of Japanese women over 60.


Dr Nobuo Kurokawa, the doctor who discovered Retired Husband Syndrome

Tuesday, 14 November, 2006
2150 GMT on BBC Two

"Retired Husband Syndrome" is generating a national debate in Japan.

A form of a severe, debilitating stress, it can lead to suicide. And physical manifestations of the illness, such as skin rashes, ulcers, asthma and high blood pressure, can also result in heart attacks and strokes.

Up until now, many Japanese women trapped by a lack of personal income and marketable skills, have stayed in unfulfilling relationships. But their decision comes with a price. These women have spent around four decades pandering to their husbands' every need, while their spouses remained married to their jobs.

Emotionally neglected - with no careers or money of their own - they endure lonely lives, often giving in to severe depression. The syndrome was discovered by Dr Nobuo Kurokawa who, over the last 10 years, has been treating a steady flow of Japanese middle-aged women with the same symptoms.

This documentary gives a fascinating insight into the lives of three couples, in which the women are affected by the syndrome. With astonishing frankness they talk about their suffering and reveal their innermost emotions. They talk about their struggles, how to overcome the disease and how to bring their marriages back from the brink of divorce.