To prevent deaths due to overwork, the Japanese government has adopted a series of emergency measures, following the deaths of two employees of a prominent advertising agency that became public recently, officials said.
The measures, approved Monday by the Labour Ministry and published by financial daily Nikkei, aim to increase monitoring of companies to ensure compliance with overtime laws.
Japanese Empress Michiko Down With Acute Bronchitis
The 82-year-old Japanese Empress Michiko has been diagnosed with acute bronchitis, but does not need to be hospitalized.
Advertisement
‘The Japanese government last year approved a law to address problems caused by excessive work, but the lack of rigor on recording of extra hours by firms, and the staff's willingness to extend their working hours to earn a bonus makes it difficult to control the practice.’
Tweet it Now
Besides conducting surprise inspections at companies, authorities will also publicly reveal the names of firms which have seen cases of "karoshi", or death caused by overwork, as also those which force their staff to work extra hours beyond the legally allowed limit of 80 hours overtime a month, Efe news reported.
In October, the government published a report in response to such cases, which showed nearly a fourth of the country's workforce could be exceeding this limit.
![Japanese Encephalitis Death Toll Rises to 39 in Odisha]( "Japanese Encephalitis Death Toll Rises to 39 in Odisha")
While 116 persons were undergoing treatment apprehending they might be suffering from Japanese Encephalitis, more than 25 others have returned home after recovery.
The new measures, which will come into effect in January 2017, also include steps to advise companies on labour laws and foster medical and psychological help for employees who may be suffering from fatigue or work-related stress.
Concern and debate over excess work has been revived in the archipelago after the suicide of a 24-year-old female employee of Dentsu - the leading advertising firm in Japan - was confirmed to be a case of "karoshi" in October.
She had reportedly worked 105 extra hours the month before her death, although the company records reflected overtime within the permissible limit. Her family alleged the company had forced her to indicate lesser hours than those she had actually worked.
The young woman, who died in December 2015 and who had been hired only seven months earlier by the company, had previously tweeted about having worked up to 20 hours a day.
Days after the confirmation of her case as karoshi, the death of another Dentsu employee in 2013 was also established to have been caused by excessive work.
The Japanese government last year approved a law to address problems caused by excessive work, but the lack of rigor on recording of extra hours by firms, and the staff's willingness to extend their working hours to earn a bonus makes it difficult to control the practice.
Source: IANS
Japanese Encephalitis Death Toll Rises to 39 in Odisha's Malkangiri District
While 116 persons were undergoing treatment apprehending they might be suffering from Japanese Encephalitis, more than 25 others have returned home after recovery.
Advertisement
The new measures, which will come into effect in January 2017, also include steps to advise companies on labour laws and foster medical and psychological help for employees who may be suffering from fatigue or work-related stress.
Concern and debate over excess work has been revived in the archipelago after the suicide of a 24-year-old female employee of Dentsu - the leading advertising firm in Japan - was confirmed to be a case of "karoshi" in October.
She had reportedly worked 105 extra hours the month before her death, although the company records reflected overtime within the permissible limit. Her family alleged the company had forced her to indicate lesser hours than those she had actually worked.
The young woman, who died in December 2015 and who had been hired only seven months earlier by the company, had previously tweeted about having worked up to 20 hours a day.
Days after the confirmation of her case as karoshi, the death of another Dentsu employee in 2013 was also established to have been caused by excessive work.
The Japanese government last year approved a law to address problems caused by excessive work, but the lack of rigor on recording of extra hours by firms, and the staff's willingness to extend their working hours to earn a bonus makes it difficult to control the practice.
Source: IANS
Death Toll Due to Japanese Encephalitis Rises to 38 in Odisha
The death toll due to Japanese Encephalitis has reached 38 in Odisha's Malkangiri district while the disease continues to spread to other districts.
Advertisement
 Nobel Prize 2016: Japan’s Yoshinori Ohsumi Wins Nobel Medicine For Discovering Mechanisms Of AutophagyJapanese cell biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries on how the body's cells detoxify and repair themselves. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
