Japan Works Itself to Death

US unemployment reached a high of 9.4 percent last month. In Japan, workers are also suffering from unemployment, and the related problem of too much work. Job insecurity and company-wide wage cuts mean that fewer employees are working harder, often at the expense of their health.

Last year a record number of Japanese workers sought and received compensation for job-induced mental disorders. The country’s suicide rate is also climbing. Japan’s Labor and Welfare Ministry reports that 158 people died from karoshi, or overwork last year. Reporter Ian Rowley is a correspondent in Businessweek's Tokyo bureau. He’s been talking to anxious Japanese workers. We called him to ask if that number represents a significant rise from the past.

Business Week: Anxious Japanese Are Working Themselves to Death

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