"Karoshi" means death by overwork.

Working long hours is a way of life in Japan. So much so, that some occasionally die from it. Karoshi is a term that means death by overwork. So why are people working so hard? And can it be fixed?

Japan has some of the longest working hours in the world. Nearly a quarter of Japanese companies have their employees work more than 80 hours of overtime per month. Those extra hours are often unpaid. Today, Japan’s corporate culture is driven by the so-called salaryman.

The salaryman is defined by his loyalty to his company and expected to spend his entire career working for the same firm. Not only does he work long hours in the office, but it’s also assumed, he’ll participate in after-work activities too, like drinking with colleagues. And they’re not taking enough time off.

In 2017, one survey found that despite being entitled to 20 days off per year, Japanese workers left 10 of those days unused - topping every other country in the survey.

At 3 am in the morning in Tokyo. Every few minutes you can see a man wearing a suit, holding a briefcase. The nation’s work ethic dates back to what’s referred to as Japan’s economic miracle, which was its dramatic economic growth beginning in the 1950s, which propelled it to become the world’s second-largest economy. Inside Japan’s corporations, the culture emphasizes the success of a company as a whole be more important than any single individual, which might explain why one study found that 63% of Japanese felt guilty for taking paid leave.

Long work hours don’t necessarily mean high productivity. In fact, Japan has the lowest productivity amongst the G7 nations.

karoshi - it means death by overwork. It’s legally recognized by the government and usually is marked by a heart attack, stroke or suicide due to stress. There are hundreds of cases of karoshi reported annually. Japan’s government has considered several initiatives to curb the number of hours spent at the office, including making it mandatory to take at least five vacation days a year. And in 2017, the government launched an initiative called Premium Fridays, in which it encouraged companies to allow their employees to leave at 3 pm on the last Friday of the month, promoting consumer spending and less time in the office. But one study found that less than 4% of employees in Japan actually left early on the first Premium Friday. Which is why despite these initiatives, a cultural challenge still looms. no one wants to be the first one to leave the office. And there’s another reason that there’s pressure on people to work hard.

Japan’s economy is in danger. And in order to maintain its massive size, Japan needs to put in the hours. Japan lost its spot as the world’s second-largest economy to China in 2011, the title that it had previously held for 42 years.

Japan is dealing with a labour crisis. Its population is ageing fast and its birth rate is in decline. That means its total population is going down. And in the next 50 years, it’s projected to shrink by nearly a third.

Japan is looking to robotics to fill in the gap. Its robotics industry has spanned from hospitality to manufacturing, and now even reaching farms by creating robots that milk cows. But whether the technology could open the door for a better work-life balance for Japan’s workforce still remains to be seen. And 'Will robots take our jobs?' here.