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What Is Karoshi Wrong

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Malia Pinal English 116
Professor Chad Kelly
December 16, 2012

A worldwide Lesson: Karoshi “Death from Overwork”: The Consequences of Putting Wealth before Health
Abstract: The main objective of this essay is to define and analyze the negative aspects of the Japanese’s Economical drive. Most specifically, it will describe a phenomenon that is occurring in Japan called “Karoshi” or “death from over-work”, where thousands of Japanese citizens are dying due to stress from the harsh working conditions they endure. This essay will prove that the prioritizing of economic prosperity over individual well-being is damaging to society. In order to achieve this, I will disclose detailed information on the connection between excessive …show more content…

This pressure amounts to large volumes of stress and fatigue. The karoshi hotlines have received more and more female callers as time goes by. Also, the first lawsuit filed to seek compensation in the name of a female who died due to harsh working conditions was filed in July of 1992. However, since then, no official ruling was made in favor of a woman (Women International Network News). Proving that the government’s harsh laws regarding labor is a setback in Japanese society. Although the Japanese Government has made some efforts to support the victims of karoshi, they are insufficient. Few people have been acknowledged to have suffered karoshi, and even fewer people have received compensation for their loss. According to a group of lawyers that handle the cases of affected families, it is estimated that some 10,000 Japanese per year die from it. However, the Labor Ministry has only recognized 110 deaths over the past three years. To legally be considered a karoshi victim by the Labor Ministry, the victim must have died after a 24 hour work period or have worked 16 hour shifts for seven continuous days preceding their death (Drinkwater). Clearly, the priority of the Japanese Government is to further expand and nourish their economy at any cost, not considering the consequence this has on the individual. The responsibility of finding a solution, however, corresponds equally to the Government as it does to the

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