A worker at a McDonald’s branch in Japan died of “karoshi” — the
Japanese term for death from overwork — according to officials
at the local government labor bureau. The employee, a 41-year-
old woman, had put in about 80 hours a month in overtime for six
months before she died. “We determined her work caused the
illness,” said an official at the agency. The worker died in
October 2007, after collapsing during a company training
program. McDonald’s Japan has yet to comment on the case, saying
the company hadn’t been contacted by authorities and needed to
confirm the labor bureau’s findings. In an earlier karoshi-
related case, McDonald’s paid a worker $75,000 in back overtime
wages after his doctor warned him he was risking a stroke by
working too hard. The term “karoshi” is used by the Japanese
government to refer to deaths — usually from heart attack or
stroke — that are connected to excessive work. Approximately 150
workers die of karoshi each year, according to government data.
Companies in Japan are increa