Japan Eases Overtime Rules, Raising Fears of 'Karoshi' Comeback

Japan has quietly changed the rules on how much overtime people can be asked to work. Starting Tuesday, labour inspection offices will no longer pressure companies to keep monthly overtime at or below 45 hours. That guidance used to be treated almost like a law. Now, a worker at a company with a standard labour agreement could legally work up to 100 hours of overtime in a single month — more than double the old safety guideline.

Why does this matter? Japan's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, calls herself a workaholic and supports making work hours more flexible. Her government argues that businesses are struggling with a severe labour shortage and need room to adjust schedules. But critics see the move as a return to the dark days of 'karoshi', the Japanese term for death caused by overwork. The 45-hour cap was specifically created to lower that risk. Removing it sends a signal that long hours are acceptable again.

About 40% of Japanese companies already operate under agreements that legally allow up to 100 hours of monthly overtime — a level doctors warn can be deadly. Those companies were previously told to keep overtime lower anyway. Now that warning is gone. A labour ministry official admitted the 45-hour threshold existed because exceeding it increases the risk of karoshi.

The change reflects a broader debate: flexible work sounds good, but who really benefits? Supporters say it helps businesses survive and gives workers choice. Critics warn that managers will push employees to work dangerous hours because the official safety limit has vanished. For a country known for long workdays and exhaustion, this is a big and risky experiment.