India and Japan have spent decades building one of Asia's most consequential partnerships. From the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project and Japanese investments in Indian manufacturing to cooperation in semiconductors, critical minerals and clean energy, the relationship today stretches far beyond diplomacy. Japan is one of India's largest investors. Indian professionals are increasingly finding opportunities in Japan. The two countries are also working together on everything from supply chains to artificial intelligence.Over the years, India has borrowed many ideas from Japan. Manufacturing practices. Quality-control systems. Infrastructure models. Even workplace discipline. But there is one Japanese phenomenon that India should think twice before importing: karoshi.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bullet-train-scorecard-before-modi-takaichi-summit-e10-deal-2027-opening-future-corridors-1782899989454">Bullet train scorecard before Modi-Takaichi summit: E10 deal, 2027 partial opening, 8-year delay</a><h2>What is karoshi?</h2>Karoshi literally means "death by overwork." The term emerged in Japan in the 1970s as doctors and researchers began documenting cases of employees dying from strokes, heart attacks and acute cardiac failure linked to extreme working hours and chronic stress.Notably, Karoshi is not a medical diagnosis in itself. Rather, it describes deaths and severe disabilities that occur when relentless workloads push the human body beyond its limits.Over time, another related term entered public discussion: karojisatsu, or suicide caused by overwork and work-related stress.These were not isolated incidents. They became serious enough to force Japan to confront uncomfortable questions about its work culture.<h2>Karoshi: How Japan became a warning story</h2>For decades, Japan's economic miracle was built on discipline, loyalty and extraordinary dedication to work. Employees routinely stayed late. Taking leave was often discouraged. Long hours became a badge of commitment.The system helped power one of the world's most remarkable economic transformations. But it came at a cost.Research linked excessive work hours to cardiovascular disease, depression, burnout and suicide. The pressure was often compounded by rigid workplace hierarchies, repetitive work, job insecurity and limited control over workloads. Eventually, the problem became too large to ignore.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/semiconductors-to-biogas-what-s-really-on-the-table-at-the-modi-takaichi-summit-wion-decodes-1782721446269">Semiconductors to biogas: What’s really on the table at the Modi-Takaichi summit? | WION Decodes</a><h2>Japan's attempt to fix the problem</h2>Recognising the scale of the crisis, Japan introduced the Workstyle Reform Act in 2018.The legislation placed limits on overtime, encouraged flexible work arrangements and required companies to create healthier working environments.The reforms acknowledged a reality many countries are still grappling with: productivity and endless working hours are not the same thing.Japan learned, painfully, that economic growth can come with serious human consequences when work consumes everything else.<h2>Why this matters for India</h2>The debate feels particularly relevant in India today. In recent years, some of India's most prominent business leaders have argued that the country needs to work significantly longer hours to compete globally.Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy famously called on young Indians to work 70-hour weeks, arguing that stronger work ethics are necessary if India wants to become a developed nation. "India's work productivity is one of the lowest in the world," he said on a podcast in 2023. "Unless we improve our work productivity... we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress. My request is that our youngsters must say, 'This is my country. I'd like to work 70 hours a week'," he added.A couple of years later, L&amp;T Chairman S N Subrahmanyan went even further, suggesting that employees should work 90 hours a week and questioning the value of weekends. In a controversial statement, Subramanyan asked, "How long can you stare at your wife," and suggested that employees should give up Sundays."What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? Come on, get to the office and start working," he said.<h2>Productivity is not the same as hours worked</h2>A lesson India can learn from Japan is that while hard work is good, there are limits to what the human body and mind can sustainably handle.Studies across multiple countries show that productivity often falls after a certain number of hours. Fatigue leads to mistakes. Stress damages health. Burnout reduces long-term performance.Japan's experience suggests that measuring commitment by hours spent at a desk can ultimately become self-defeating. India can certainly learn from Japan's precision, efficiency and discipline. Those are strengths worth emulating. Karoshi is not.&nbsp;

India wants to learn from Japan's success, from bullet trains and manufacturing to semiconductors and AI. But there is one Japanese export New Delhi should avoid at all costs: karoshi, or "death by overwork."

India and Japan have spent decades building one of Asia's most consequential partnerships. From the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project and Japanese investments in Indian manufacturing to cooperation in semiconductors, critical minerals and clean energy, the relationship today stretches far beyond diplomacy. Japan is one of India's largest investors. Indian professionals are increasingly finding opportunities in Japan. The two countries are also working together on everything from supply chains to artificial intelligence. Over the years, India has borrowed many ideas from Japan. Manufacturing practices. Quality-control systems. Infrastructure models. Even workplace discipline. But there is one Japanese phenomenon that India should think twice before importing: karoshi. Also read | Bullet train scorecard before Modi-Takaichi summit: E10 deal, 2027 partial opening, 8-year delay What is karoshi? Karoshi literally means "death by overwork." The term emerged in Japan in the 1970s as doctors and researchers began documenting cases of employees dying from strokes, heart attacks and acute cardiac failure linked to extreme working hours and chronic stress. Notably, Karoshi is not a medical diagnosis in itself. Rather, it describes deaths and severe disabilities that occur when relentless workloads push the human body beyond its limits. Over time, another related term entered public discussion: karojisatsu, or suicide caused by overwork and work-related stress. These were not isolated incidents. They became serious enough to force Japan to confront uncomfortable questions about its work culture. Karoshi: How Japan became a warning story For decades, Japan's economic miracle was built on discipline, loyalty and extraordinary dedication to work. Employees routinely stayed late. Taking leave was often discouraged. Long hours became a badge of commitment. The system helped power one of the world's most remarkable economic transformations. But it came at a cost. Research linked excessive work hours to cardiovascular disease, depression, burnout and suicide. The pressure was often compounded by rigid workplace hierarchies, repetitive work, job insecurity and limited control over workloads. Eventually, the problem became too large to ignore. Also read | Semiconductors to biogas: What’s really on the table at the Modi-Takaichi summit? | WION Decodes Japan's attempt to fix the problem Recognising the scale of the crisis, Japan introduced the Workstyle Reform Act in 2018. The legislation placed limits on overtime, encouraged flexible work arrangements and required companies to create healthier working environments. The reforms acknowledged a reality many countries are still grappling with: productivity and endless working hours are not the same thing. Japan learned, painfully, that economic growth can come with serious human consequences when work consumes everything else. Why this matters for India The debate feels particularly relevant in India today. In recent years, some of India's most prominent business leaders have argued that the country needs to work significantly longer hours to compete globally. Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy famously called on young Indians to work 70-hour weeks, arguing that stronger work ethics are necessary if India wants to become a developed nation. "India's work productivity is one of the lowest in the world," he said on a podcast in 2023. "Unless we improve our work productivity... we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress. My request is that our youngsters must say, 'This is my country. I'd like to work 70 hours a week'," he added. A couple of years later, L&T Chairman S N Subrahmanyan went even further, suggesting that employees should work 90 hours a week and questioning the value of weekends. In a controversial statement, Subramanyan asked, "How long can you stare at your wife," and suggested that employees should give up Sundays. "What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? Come on, get to the office and start working," he said. Productivity is not the same as hours worked A lesson India can learn from Japan is that while hard work is good, there are limits to what the human body and mind can sustainably handle. Studies across multiple countries show that productivity often falls after a certain number of hours. Fatigue leads to mistakes. Stress damages health. Burnout reduces long-term performance. Japan's experience suggests that measuring commitment by hours spent at a desk can ultimately become self-defeating. India can certainly learn from Japan's precision, efficiency and discipline. Those are strengths worth emulating. Karoshi is not.

India wants to learn from Japan's success, from bullet trains and manufacturing to semiconductors and AI. But there is one Japanese export New Delhi should avoid at all costs: karoshi, or "death by overwork."

India-Japan ties go far beyond trade. Here's one thing India shouldn't import: Karoshi

In a country notorious for overwork, Microsoft Japan trialled a radical idea: working less. And it found that four-day weeks and other reforms both boosted sales and cut costs.

The Japanese unit of the US IT giant closed its offices every Friday in August, giving all 2,300 full-time workers special leave.

It also restricted meetings to a maximum of 30 minutes and encouraged online chats as an alternative to face-to-face communications.

The number of participants at meetings was limited to five, and workers were also encouraged to use online communication instead of emails, it said.

The results were positive, with sales per employee rising almost 40 per cent in August from a year earlier, electricity consumption down by a quarter and paper usage being cut in half.

The firm said the trial showed "employees want to have a variety of ways of working" and that adopting the model more broadly could boost efficiency.

It plans to launch a similar programme this winter -- but won't offer special leave.

Instead, employees will be encouraged to use their existing holiday days, it said.

The programme comes as Japan's government pushes for more "flexible work styles," urging business to accept telecommuting, different part-time schedules and off-peak commuting.

The effort is part of an attempt to address the issue of "karoshi" -- death from overwork -- and to encourage overworked and overburdened couples to have children in a country that is struggling with a shrinking population.

In a country notorious for overwork, Microsoft Japan trialled a radical idea: working less. And it found that four-day weeks and other reforms both boosted sales and cut costs.

In a country notorious for overwork, Microsoft Japan trialled a radical idea: working less. And it found that four-day weeks and other reforms both boosted sales and cut costs. The Japanese unit of the US IT giant closed its offices every Friday in August, giving all 2,300 full-time workers special leave. It also restricted meetings to a maximum of 30 minutes and encouraged online chats as an alternative to face-to-face communications. The number of participants at meetings was limited to five, and workers were also encouraged to use online communication instead of emails, it said. The results were positive, with sales per employee rising almost 40 per cent in August from a year earlier, electricity consumption down by a quarter and paper usage being cut in half. The firm said the trial showed "employees want to have a variety of ways of working" and that adopting the model more broadly could boost efficiency. It plans to launch a similar programme this winter -- but won't offer special leave. Instead, employees will be encouraged to use their existing holiday days, it said. The programme comes as Japan's government pushes for more "flexible work styles," urging business to accept telecommuting, different part-time schedules and off-peak commuting. The effort is part of an attempt to address the issue of "karoshi" -- death from overwork -- and to encourage overworked and overburdened couples to have children in a country that is struggling with a shrinking population.

Microsoft Japan's four-day work a week experiment pays off ; sales get 40% boost

As <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-olympics-2020-medals-unveiled-a-year-before-games-238165&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwit3Ibe9c_jAhVr6XMBHbRXALsQFjABegQIEBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw32CPD1RrfrmBTHqwYdqa2V">Tokyo 2020 Olympics</a> preparations enter their final stage, officials are touting the city's readiness, but activists and workers groups say speedy venue construction has had dangerous consequences.

The Olympic opening ceremony is now less than a year away and more than half the new venues being built for the Games are already complete.

"We are where we want to be," Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike confidently told reporters earlier this month.

But some argue the city has kept on schedule at the cost of the health and safety of the thousands of workers building the sites.

An official tally shows there have been at least two deaths linked to Olympics construction in Tokyo.

In 2017, a 23-year-old Olympic stadium worker killed himself after clocking nearly 200 hours of overtime the month before, with the local labour office recognising his suicide as a case of death from overwork, a phenomenon known as "karoshi".

The following year, a man was crushed to death between a crane and scaffolding.

Fourteen people have also been injured during construction, according to official records through the end of 2018.

But while London had a near-perfect construction safety record for the 2012 Games, Tokyo is still doing significantly better than other Olympic hosts.

In Rio, at least 11 people were killed during construction for the Games, and in Beijing, authorities acknowledged at least six deaths but media reports said more than 10 people were killed.

Too busy

 
Still, workers in Tokyo say they are being squeezed by the twin pressures of labour shortages and a tight schedule.

"The work is hard," said one veteran contractor in his sixties, who works as a sub-subcontractor on a project to build the Olympic Village.

He said manpower was about 40 percent short, and the pressure to stay on schedule has led to safety shortcuts.

He described days when he and his colleagues continued to work as a crane arm clutching a huge block of concrete moved overhead. They didn't move even after safety whistles were blown.

"We were too busy," he told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"It's like an assembly line for cars. You have to install the hoods no matter what because those putting in the windshields are waiting next."

They would only move when labour office inspectors came over.

"The breaks resulted in us being forced to hurry even more for the rest of the day, only increasing the risks," he said.

Labour unions say the problems with Olympic construction reflect issues in the industry in Japan more broadly, including the widespread use of multiple subcontractors who have little power to protest poor conditions.

Six-day workweeks are common, and the ageing country's labour shortage means workers are stretched thin.

One in four workers in Japan's construction industry is 60 or older, far outstripping the number of workers aged 30 or younger.

Overwork is also a problem for workers in other industries, despite government efforts to address excessive hours.

Conditions are really good

 
The conditions have raised concern among labour activists.

In May, the Building and Wood Worker's International union reported "alarming" testimony from 40 workers building the new national stadium and Olympic village.

The report warned of "dangerous patterns of overwork" and alleged some workers had been forced to buy their protective equipment.

It said workers described unsafe conditions and that half of those interviewed did not have formal contracts -- a situation not illegal in Japan but uncommon in industrialised countries.

It also accused employers of creating a "culture of fear" with workers afraid of losing their jobs if they complained or reported problems.

Olympic organisers, along with the Tokyo local government and the Japan Sport Council (JSC) in charge of building the new stadium, said they are discussing the report with BWI.

JSC vice president Jugo Imaizumi said he thought there had been a "misunderstanding".

"Many people who came back here after working elsewhere say they realised conditions here are really good," Imaizumi told AFP.

Olympics worksites close at night to prevent overwork and employees have Sundays off, he added.

Officials also say only a handful of complaints have been submitted to the Tokyo local government and Olympic organising committee.

But labour officials said that is merely evidence of workers' reluctance to speak up because although they can request anonymity they are required to submit their name and phone number when filing a complaint.

"Their logic is that since there is no filing of complaints, there is no problem," a labour union official near Tokyo told AFP.&nbsp;

"The system is just to establish an 'alibi' for them."

As Tokyo 2020 Olympics preparations enter their final stage, officials are touting the city's readiness, but activists and workers groups say speedy venue construction has had dangerous consequences.

As Tokyo 2020 Olympics preparations enter their final stage, officials are touting the city's readiness, but activists and workers groups say speedy venue construction has had dangerous consequences. The Olympic opening ceremony is now less than a year away and more than half the new venues being built for the Games are already complete. "We are where we want to be," Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike confidently told reporters earlier this month. But some argue the city has kept on schedule at the cost of the health and safety of the thousands of workers building the sites. An official tally shows there have been at least two deaths linked to Olympics construction in Tokyo. In 2017, a 23-year-old Olympic stadium worker killed himself after clocking nearly 200 hours of overtime the month before, with the local labour office recognising his suicide as a case of death from overwork, a phenomenon known as "karoshi". The following year, a man was crushed to death between a crane and scaffolding. Fourteen people have also been injured during construction, according to official records through the end of 2018. But while London had a near-perfect construction safety record for the 2012 Games, Tokyo is still doing significantly better than other Olympic hosts. In Rio, at least 11 people were killed during construction for the Games, and in Beijing, authorities acknowledged at least six deaths but media reports said more than 10 people were killed. Too busy Still, workers in Tokyo say they are being squeezed by the twin pressures of labour shortages and a tight schedule. "The work is hard," said one veteran contractor in his sixties, who works as a sub-subcontractor on a project to build the Olympic Village. He said manpower was about 40 percent short, and the pressure to stay on schedule has led to safety shortcuts. He described days when he and his colleagues continued to work as a crane arm clutching a huge block of concrete moved overhead. They didn't move even after safety whistles were blown. "We were too busy," he told AFP on condition of anonymity. "It's like an assembly line for cars. You have to install the hoods no matter what because those putting in the windshields are waiting next." They would only move when labour office inspectors came over. "The breaks resulted in us being forced to hurry even more for the rest of the day, only increasing the risks," he said. Labour unions say the problems with Olympic construction reflect issues in the industry in Japan more broadly, including the widespread use of multiple subcontractors who have little power to protest poor conditions. Six-day workweeks are common, and the ageing country's labour shortage means workers are stretched thin. One in four workers in Japan's construction industry is 60 or older, far outstripping the number of workers aged 30 or younger. Overwork is also a problem for workers in other industries, despite government efforts to address excessive hours. Conditions are really good The conditions have raised concern among labour activists. In May, the Building and Wood Worker's International union reported "alarming" testimony from 40 workers building the new national stadium and Olympic village. The report warned of "dangerous patterns of overwork" and alleged some workers had been forced to buy their protective equipment. It said workers described unsafe conditions and that half of those interviewed did not have formal contracts -- a situation not illegal in Japan but uncommon in industrialised countries. It also accused employers of creating a "culture of fear" with workers afraid of losing their jobs if they complained or reported problems. Olympic organisers, along with the Tokyo local government and the Japan Sport Council (JSC) in charge of building the new stadium, said they are discussing the report with BWI. JSC vice president Jugo Imaizumi said he thought there had been a "misunderstanding". "Many people who came back here after working elsewhere say they realised conditions here are really good," Imaizumi told AFP. Olympics worksites close at night to prevent overwork and employees have Sundays off, he added. Officials also say only a handful of complaints have been submitted to the Tokyo local government and Olympic organising committee. But labour officials said that is merely evidence of workers' reluctance to speak up because although they can request anonymity they are required to submit their name and phone number when filing a complaint. "Their logic is that since there is no filing of complaints, there is no problem," a labour union official near Tokyo told AFP. "The system is just to establish an 'alibi' for them."

Tokyo Olympic construction race raises worker safety questions

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