Mother of Karoshi Victim Calls on People Not to Forget

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–The mother of Matsuri Takahashi, who killed herself after working excessive hours at advertising giant Dentsu Inc. 10 years ago, held a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday and called on people not to forget the issue of “karoshi,” or death from overwork. “I don’t want people to let the issue of karoshi fade away and forget about my daughter,” said the 62-year-old mother, Yukimi. Wiping away tears, Yukimi said, “How I feel about my daughter hasn’t changed.” The daughter died at the age of 24 on Dec. 25, 2015. Yukimi said she has given over 80 lectures to raise public awareness on preventing karoshi. However, she fears that her daughter’s death and the karoshi issue may have been forgotten. Although the law for work style reform was enacted in June 2018, setting an upper limit on overtime work, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office in October, has instructed the government to consider relaxing the regulation. “As bereaved families, we can never approve of reversing work style reform,” she emphasized. “The number of karoshi cases hasn’t decreased,” she noted. “I’m terribly sad and can’t put that into words.” “We must continue to make permanent efforts to create a society in which people can work healthily,” she added. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]