Community | July 09, 2008 | 14 comments

Dead at 45 - Toyota Motor Company Japan works employee to death!

source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/09/financial/f081210D01.DTL&tsp=1

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jubal
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.
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14 comments // Dead at 45 - Toyota Motor Company Japan works employee to death!

  • pennydaisy
  • teddy14
  • flyingkick
    • 0
      flyingkick  

    • That was happening a lot in Japan in the 80's. I think it's because their culture is based more on Confusianism, in which your government and your employer are more important than your family.

    • 3 years ago
  • RonTayan
    • 0
      RonTayan  
    • flyingkick:

      Very true, which is heavily weight in ancestor worship. I remember a Japanese friend of mine was depressed coming home for a meeting at work because the boss said they needed to work harder.

      I said "You're in America now" F*#C it, you're home now relax and drink a beer."

      =)

    • 3 years ago
  • Dmitri_Molotov
  • malathion
    • 0
      malathion  
    • Dmitri_Molotov:

      i don't see anything wrong with it , except for the cultural bankruptcy japan may be said to exhibit when suicide isn't conducted with the traditional knife to the belly , a sign of the times i guess.

    • 3 years ago
  • timunuhe
    • 0
      timunuhe  

    • it's a very sad thing, but in japan, this is probably thought of as an honorable death.

      one thing i like about America is that this is thought of as stupid. no one except your family is gonna care if you literally give your life for the company.

    • 3 years ago
  • malathion
  • jubal
  • Elligirl
  • Allsunday
    • 0
      Allsunday  

    • Dedication to hard work is considered a major virtue in Japan, but it can definitely be taken too far. More Japanese companies should encourage their hardest-working employees to take more time for relaxation.

    • 3 years ago
  • RonTayan
    • 0
      RonTayan  

    • The sad part is working to death actually has a verb in the Japanese language.

      karoshi - to work to death.

      totemo Kanashii - very sad.

    • 3 years ago
  • Kynmore
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