Japan has a word for dying from overwork — it's a public health crisis

'Karoshi' — literally 'death from overwork' — was first recognised as a medical and legal category in Japan in 1969, when a 29-year-old Nippon Shipping employee died of a stroke. Japan officially records roughly 200 karoshi deaths per year, but researchers estimate the true figure — including suicides attributable to work stress — is ten to twenty times higher. A 2016 government survey found that 23% of Japanese companies had employees working more than 80 overtime hours per month. Japanese labour reform laws now limit overtime hours and companies are required to report when an employee works beyond set limits, though enforcement remains inconsistent.

Source: Nishiyama & Johnson, Karoshi: Death from Overwork, New Solutions (1997)