Japanese man dies from overwork

[npincus]

dreadful...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/09/japanese-man-dies-of-over_n_111707.html

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.

The ruling was handed down June 30 and will allow his family to collect benefits from his work insurance, Mizuno said.

An officer at the Aichi Labor Bureau on Wednesday confirmed the ruling, but declined to comment on the record.

[bullimiami]

1. ""more tnan 80 hrs overtime per month""

so thats like 60 hrs per week and it killed him?

[trotsky]

2. I'm sure that's only what he *reported*.

Sounds like the guy worked 23 hours a day.

[oregonjen]

4. He probably had to go out every night for dinner and drinks

Which means getting home wayyyy late and having to get up in the morning and do it all over again. Part of the Japanese business culture is making deals at night over beer/sake. It's a horrible thing to put your body through. The commute times are probably different as well, considering most people commute by bus/train/walking to work, which takes longer.

[raccoon]

3. I'm sure there are many who've died from overwork in Japan, US, UK, Germany,

etc......Lower Slobbovia, but didn't make headlines.

Still, too bad about this man.