Salaryman Sudden Death Syndrome

Much current Japanese popular discussion centres on the sudden death, at an early age, of Japan′s hard‐working, white‐collar workers: Karoshi (death from overwork) – Salaryman′s Sudden Death Syndrome. Officially, it does not exist, as the government and big business are hesitant to acknowledge the phenomenon in light of the growing need to become more productive. The current recessionary pressure and growing shortage of labour in Japan has exposed this social phenomenon. Describes karoshi, defines the extent of the phenomenon, explores changes that are occurring in Japan′s workforce and analyses the impact on Japan.