Health Risks for Japan Workers

When summer was about to end, I decided to do something that might lend me a job in Japan. Unfortunately, it did not end well because my string is too short for the year-long training.  When I visited Japan, what I noticed was that they do really have a fast-pace way of life. They walk fast, they act fast, they follow the schedule and others including foreigners are expected to do the same or they will be left behind. Among our group, our Japanese coordinator who was more than 50 years old walked really fast and always end up waiting at the train station.

Just today, I read an article from Telegraph.co.uk that says

Japan is least healthy place in the world to work

The workaholic nation of Japan has been crowned the most unhealthy country in the world to be an employee.

A survey conducted from 115,000 participants in 33 countries ranked Japan as the highest in terms of workers with the most work-related health problems. Canada ranked second. Both countries have only ten (10) days leave annually. Karoshi (death from overworking) is one of the problems that Japan is currently experiencing. Japan also has a high rate of work-related fatalities.

If Japan and Canada ranked as the least healthy place to work, New Zealand, India and Australia emerged the healthiest place to work having the fewest complaints of work-related ill health.

Sometimes, even when not in Japan or in Canada, people without realizing tend to sacrifice health when it comes to work. I do sometimes (but mostly home-based projects ).

Am I still hoping to work in Japan? Maybe, but I will always prefer to work at home than anywhere else given the same financial benefits.  But I would really like to go back there in the future especially during winter. I like to watch the colorful leaves and the trees covered with snow.