Karoshi or death from overwork is plaguing the work culture of teachers in Japan. They are reaching their breaking points and some are also challenging the culture with lawsuits.
Overworked teachers in Japan file lawsuits
In one of his last diary entries, Yoshido Kudo, a Japanese teacher complained about work days that began early and lasted until midnight. Unfortunately, two months later, he suffered “karoshi,” or death from overwork. However, his taxing schedule was not rare. Teachers in the nation work some of the longest hours. As per an OECD survey, teachers in Japanese middle schools work for about 56 hours every week. This is a stark comparison from the average of 38 hours for those in developed nations.
Additionally, they are loaded with tasks such as supervising school commutes, cleaning, and after-school clubs. An investigation by a union-affiliated think tank revealed they work an average of 123 hours of overtime monthly. This is pushing their weekly load beyond the 80-hour karoshi line. The staff revealed they are reaching this point and some are also filing lawsuits. Hence, this year, the ruling party established an official task force for a better understanding of the issue.
More on the new reforms
The authorities are ordering steps such as the digitalization of tasks and outsourcing. “Our measures to reform work conditions for teachers are making steady progress,” stated Keiko Nagaoka in the parliament. Nagaoka is the education minister of Japan. However, she added that several are working for long hours and there is a need for accelerating efforts. While government efforts show a gradual decline, experts see very little change. “What should really be the responsibility of parents sometimes spills over onto teachers, who can even be sent to apologize to residents when students misbehave at parks or convenience stores,” stated Takeshi Nishimoto. Nishimoto is a high school history teacher in Osaka.
However, the attempt to make changes was too late for Kudo. The “sacred worker” lost his life due to a brain hemorrhage at the young age of 40 in 2007. During his funeral, his stunned students told Sachiko, his wife that physical education was always lively. In their words, he was the “furthest imaginable person from death”. However, “He just loved working with kids. Towards the end, he was telling me that teachers should stop working like this and that he wanted to lead that change in the future,” stated Sachiko.