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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Committee approves bill that is likely to increase deaths from overwork

A bill to adversely revise four labor laws concerning working hours and industrial safety and health was enacted on October 26 after it was approved by the House of Councilors.

The bill was voted for by the majority of the ruling and opposition parties excluding the Japanese Communist Party after a mere six hours' discussion on the day.

Speaking on behalf of the JCP, the only objecting party, at the House of Councilors Health, Labor, and Welfare Committee meeting on October 25, Koike Akira criticized the bill as a measure that will increase karoshi (death from overwork) instead of preventing it and that it reneges on Japan's international pledge to shorten working hours.

The bill will relax the upper limit of overtime to 100 hours a month from the present 80 hours under HL&W Ministry instructions. It will require company doctors to give medical exams only on request from workers.

The bill will also abolish the law on promotion of shorter working hours, discarding the target set to limit the total number of hours actually worked a year at 1,800 hours. Thus, it becomes legal under the Labor Standards Law for a company to force workers to work more than 300 hours overtime a year provided that labor and management agree.

Citing an example of a labor-management agreement at the Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries allowing a maximum of 800 hours a year and 200 hours a month of overtime, Koike urged the government to ban companies from forcing workers to work overtime in flagrant disregard of the danger of karoshi. -- Akahata, October 26, 2005