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Excessive workload caused worker's suicide: court

The Nagoya District Court on May 17 ruled in favor of a bereaved wife's claim that a heavy workload was the major cause of the suicide of her husband.

The ruling pointed out that the worker's suicide was caused by mental stress he was suffering because of his working conditions, such as long hours of work.

The plaintiff's husband was a Chubu Electric Power Co. employee who killed himself in November 1999 at the age of 36.

His overtime work hours had rapidly increased since June 1999. After he was promoted to section manager in August, he suffered from depression due to more than 110 hours of overtime monthly as well as strict "instructions" by his supervisor. On a day after he had worked on a holiday, he burned himself to death in his car.

In October 2000, the worker's wife requested the labor standards inspection office to recognize his death as work related. However, the office rejected her claim insisting that his depression was caused by his personal constitution outside of his work. In 2003, she brought the case to court calling for the rejection to be revoked.
- Akahata, May 18, 2006