September 5 2008

By Naoto Okamura

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - "Don't go to work" reads a poem written by a Japanese boy for his father who killed himself after suffering from depression caused by working too much.

"Dad, I am no good," wrote a young Japanese engineer who committed suicide because he could no longer cope with work.

The letters are part of an exhibition in Tokyo organised by a mental health organisation to highlight the risk of "karoshi", or death from overwork, in a society that treasures hard work.

Titled "Inside me, you are alive now", the exhibition collects suicide notes, poems and testimonies from "karoshi" victims and their families.

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world: more than 30,000 suicides every year since 1998. Last year, five times more people killed themselves than died in traffic accidents.

But less is known about the role of work in those suicides. A Health Ministry report last year notes a strong link between depression and habitual overwork of 80 hours or more over a few months. According to the ministry, 81 suicides were approved for work-related compensation last year, up 50 percent from 2003.

The author of the "Don't go to work" exhibit was seven years old when his father died. In his poem, he dreamed of creating a time machine to rescue his father.

BALANCING LIFE AND WORK

The engineer, Hiroto Komatsu, who worked for a major car manufacturer, jumped to death from the company building in 2002. In the month before his death, he worked a total of 315 hours, including 144 hours of overtime.

Komatsu's mother recalls her son would sleep on the floor wrapped in a blanket for fear he would oversleep and be late for work if he went to bed.

"Things are getting worse compared to 20 years ago," said the organiser of the exhibition, Tatsuhiko Ifuku. "But nothing will change if we just keep looking at this sad reality. Perhaps the bereaved family members have the power to change society."

The non-profit organisation behind the exhibition, dubbed the "Mental health counselling room for workers", began to display the letters in 2007. Most say death was the only way out of their agony and express their love and remorse to their families.

Ifuku came up with the idea of displaying the letters after learning about Hyuma Katayama, who killed himself in August 2005. The 25-year-old bank worker left an essay about his depression, which attracted interest after appearing in a literary magazine.

"I started searching for similar cases, and ended up with a list of 50 involving suicide from overwork," Ifuku said.

Sachiko Tanaka, whose police officer son killed himself three years ago, thinks overwork was one of the reasons.

"People say my son chose to die of his own will, but who would want to take their own life?" she said. She will petition the government this month to take the issue more seriously.

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the concept of a healthy work-life balance in Japan. Last December the government laid out a charter and an action plan to promote harmony between work and leisure.

Ifuku said more needed to be done.

"Big companies have to change. But Japan won't change unless society regulates excessive overwork," Ifuku said.

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(The CIWS has pointed out how provincial governments are in a conflict of interest when they allow the WCB to deny chronic stress claims due to workload in hospitals and schools. This allows them to understaff their hospitals and schools without having to face workplace safety inspections. The Final Report of The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology ("Out of the Shadows At Last" - May 2006), stated: "The Committee . . . . recommends . . . that the Canadian Mental Health Commission . . . work closely with provincial and territorial governments as well as with Workers’ Compensation Boards, employers and trade unions across the country to develop best practices with respect to compensation for occupational stress-related claims."