High court recognizes cause of ex-NTT employee’s death as overwork

Japan Press Weekly

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High court recognizes cause of ex-NTT employee’s death as overwork

The Sapporo High Court on August 10 ruled that an ex-NTT employee’s death was caused by overwork related to corporate restructuring, and that the bereaved family be paid compensation. The ruling supports the plaintiff’s argument to follow the first court ruling.

NTT-East Japan (Higashi Nihon) employee Okumura Yoshikatsu (58) died of acute cardiac ischemia in 2002 following his short home-coming from a 2-month study tour the company ordered him to attend in disregard of his chronic heart disease. At that time, he was engaged in work that he had no experience due to the corporate restructuring program.

The ruling acknowledged a causal relationship between his stress and his death, saying that the mental stress could have aggravated the heart disease.

The plaintiff’s lawyer said, “The ruling is useful to deal with workmen’s accidents in showing that relief is possible when stress is excessive, even when the worker has not been subject to irregular work for a long period of time.”

-Akahata, August 11, 2010