boosted98gst Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 So good they fucking work them to death, literlly Labor bureau: Japanese man, 45, died of overwork By JAY ALABASTER, Associated Press Writer Wed Jul 9, 12:33 PM ET TOKYO - A Japanese labor bureau has ruled that one of Toyota's top car engineers died from working too many hours, the latest in a string of such findings in a nation where extraordinarily long hours for some employees has long been the norm. ADVERTISEMENT The man who died was aged 45 and had been under severe pressure as the lead engineer in developing a hybrid version of Toyota's blockbuster Camry line, said Mikio Mizuno, the lawyer representing his wife. The man's identity is being withheld at the request of his family, who continue to live in Toyota City where the company is based. In the two months up to his death, the man averaged more than 80 hours of overtime per month, according to Mizuno. He regularly worked nights and weekends, was frequently sent abroad and was grappling with shipping a model for the pivotal North American International Auto Show in Detroit when he died of ischemic heart disease in January 2006. The man's daughter found his body at their home the day before he was to leave for the United States. The ruling was handed down June 30 and will allow his family to collect benefits from his work insurance, Mizuno said. An officer at the Aichi Labor Bureau on Wednesday confirmed the ruling, but declined to comment on the record. In a statement, Toyota Motor Corp. offered its condolences and said it would work to improve monitoring of the health of its workers. There is an effort in Japan to cut down on deaths from overwork, known as "karoshi." Such deaths have steadily increased since the Health Ministry first recognized the phenomenon in 1987. Last year, a court in central Japan ordered the government to pay compensation to Hiroko Uchino, the wife of a Toyota employee who collapsed at work and died at age 30 in 2002. She took the case to court after her application to the local labor bureau for compensation was rejected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bruh Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 pussy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImUrOBGYN Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 It sounds like you're looking at this from an American pov. The Japanese worker is generally of a different breed. The fault of his death, I'm sure, is partially attributable to his own drive to work. They take great pride from and in their work; a Samurai's code, if you will. At least that's the quickest way for me to try to explain. It's not necessarily Toyota being an evil corporation or some shit. lol This kinda thing happens all over in Japan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitrousbird Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 80 hours of overtime a month = ~60 hours a week, assuming they have 40 hour work weeks there. Come on, there are TONS of people doing work like that. Tell me he was working 90-100+ hours a week, and then I can see a point. Now if he is overstressing himself over his job, that's a whole other issue. But that article seems to focus on the amount of time worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sully Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 80 hours of overtime a month = ~60 hours a week, assuming they have 40 hour work weeks there. Come on, there are TONS of people doing work like that. Tell me he was working 90-100+ hours a week, and then I can see a point. Now if he is overstressing himself over his job, that's a whole other issue. But that article seems to focus on the amount of time worked. I thought the same thing when reading that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farkas Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 It sounds like you're looking at this from an American pov. The Japanese worker is generally of a different breed. The fault of his death, I'm sure, is partially attributable to his own drive to work. They take great pride from and in their work; a Samurai's code, if you will. At least that's the quickest way for me to try to explain. It's not necessarily Toyota being an evil corporation or some shit. lol This kinda thing happens all over in Japan. Quoted for the truth.. I have a hard time believing it has anything to do with how much work toyota directly forced on him, but how hard Japanese work themselves in general.. Watch the movie Gung-Ho if you havent.. Might give you a better idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMeanGreen Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Toyota City Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotCarl Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 80 hours of overtime a month = ~60 hours a week, assuming they have 40 hour work weeks there. Come on, there are TONS of people doing work like that. Tell me he was working 90-100+ hours a week, and then I can see a point. Now if he is overstressing himself over his job, that's a whole other issue. But that article seems to focus on the amount of time worked. You have to take into account what kind of work he was doing and under what circumstance's he was in. In my job if I worked 80+ hours a week sitting on my ass and not having alot of problem solving to do then I would be fine. But put an engineer in the same situation and it could be different. Not to mention he's probably been working this type of schedule for a long ass time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Toyota City Its sister city is Detroit. No shit. Funny how that goes. Like the little sister crushing the one who would guide them and help them grow up. :bangbang: But it's like Detroit, without all the death. And abandonment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
large_x7 Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 I have a hard time believing it has anything to do with how much work toyota directly forced on him, but how hard Japanese work themselves in general.. While the article stresses the amount of hours that the guy worked, I can guarantee that he did not die from too many hours. The difference is in the stress level. Somebody who works line-side installing parts or is a janitor obviously is not going to have a very high stress level. This particular guy was in charge of the Toyota Camry Hybrid development. That's a lot of responsibility, especially when something goes wrong. Some of the Americans at work were joking about karoshi and it is not a laughing matter in Japan. Most Japanese know at least one person who has died from overwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossle Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 Look at the hours the Nascar mechanics put in, for all you Nascar fans.... if I recall it was around that number of hours getting cars prepped in between races. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mensan Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 You have to take into account what kind of work he was doing and under what circumstance's he was in. In my job if I worked 80+ hours a week sitting on my ass and not having alot of problem solving to do then I would be fine. But put an engineer in the same situation and it could be different. Not to mention he's probably been working this type of schedule for a long ass time. I am the opposite. I am an engineer working 80+ hours some weeks and I have no problem, because the work I do is different and challenging. I worked a desk position at another company and had difficulty trying to put in my 40 hours because I was so damn bored. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boosted98gst Posted July 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 It sounds like you're looking at this from an American pov. The Japanese worker is generally of a different breed. The fault of his death, I'm sure, is partially attributable to his own drive to work. They take great pride from and in their work; a Samurai's code, if you will. At least that's the quickest way for me to try to explain. It's not necessarily Toyota being an evil corporation or some shit. lol This kinda thing happens all over in Japan. trust me I know ,I am japanese american, but born and raised in japan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImUrOBGYN Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 trust me I know ,I am japanese american, but born and raised in japan. Wetback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorne Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 Quoted for the truth.. I have a hard time believing it has anything to do with how much work toyota directly forced on him, but how hard Japanese work themselves in general.. Watch the movie Gung-Ho if you havent.. Might give you a better idea. I love that movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boosted98gst Posted July 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 Wetback. I have a longer swim then any mexican I deserve to be here too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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