The 38-year-old was the manager of a franchised 7-Eleven store in Oita Prefecture, on the southern island of Kyushu, when he took his own life in July 2022.
His bereaved family is now calling on the operator of Japan’s largest convenience store chain to improve labour management practices for its franchise employees.
Karoshi or “death from overwork” remains a persistent issue in Japan since it first came to light several decades ago.
Although the government introduced regulations in 2018 to limit overtime hours to 45 a month and 100 in busier months, companies have found ways to skirt these rules.
“Around the time he was appointed manager of the store, his duties increased, such as filling in for part-time workers who were suddenly absent, and he could no longer take time off,” the man’s widow told The Asahi Shimbun newspaper.
