過労死 ( Karōshi ) ’ s phenomenon and its collective existential damage

Received: 24 May 2019 Accepted: 14 Oct. 2019 Published: 23 Dec. 2020 Abstrac: This paper discusses 過労死 (Karōshi)’s phenomenon, stating it as a social labor-related issue. It presents Karōshi as sudden death by overworking. This paper objective consists in showing it as a singular and particular case of Japanese workaholism, rooted in its own cultural work system, conceptualizing Karōshi as a singularity in Japanese cultural system, putting it, and also 過労自殺 (Karōjisatsu), as an existential damage beyond the individual worker. Karōshi surpasses the line of personal damage and can be considered a cultural collective damage.


Introduction
The paper intends to debate a specific labor environmental phenomenon called 過労死 (romanized as Karōshi), the death by overwork or job-related exhaustion, and its major effect, named 過労自殺 (Karōjisatsu) a suicidal behavior followed up by a psychological labor disturbance. 過労死 is a mix of two Japanese words, which one represented by one Kanji (a Japanese syllabic phoneme): 過労 (karō, "overwork") + 死 (shi, "death"). It is a recent

過労死 (Karōshi)'s phenomenon and its collective existential damage O fenômeno do Karōshi e seu dano existencial coletivo
El fenómeno del Karōshi y su daño colectivo existencial labor phenomenon, which came up on the late 70's (its first register) and it is usually identified as an important social problem in Asian culture, mainly in Japan, where it has been recorded and discussed for the first time and then made popular.
The theme is something intriguing, and not quite discussed on academic fields (at least in Brazil) and deserves a deeper approach. So, the main objectives of this paper are not only to conceptualize the main aspects of Karōshi, just describing it, but also presenting this social issue as a very singular cultural problem, and as a form of collective existential damage. Thus, the most challenging aspect (and its main objective as well) consists in showing Karōshi not just as a single issue of the capitalist way of production and work (at least not just something like that, even though it can be described as a capitalist deformity as well), but as a whole existential problem of a singular culture, its own customs at work and in its own in its own labor environment. The cultural element will be the key to comprehending why Karōshi is a social issue related only to Japan, and only possible of happening inside Japanese work culture.
To proceed with such hard methodological task, we intend to mix a philosophical-existentialist theory core referral with international labor law statutory interpretation and factual descriptions.
Since Karōshi is not a disease or a health issue itself, the first step (premise) of present analysis is to bring a sole concept of this phenomenon, linking its description to labor environmental aspects and defining its main occurrences, such as common characters, repetition data, usual recurrence and other similar facts. The International Labor Organization (ILO) 2 has a pivotal article (technical tool) often used to measure if a labor routine is (or is not) considered to be able to provoke a Karōshi status, or even unfold into Karōjisatsu. The mentioned existential theoretic aspect shall be used in order to present Karōshi in a conjectural and collective context, showing its wide spreading damage, which may attack and reach employees on its maximum feature and 2 Ilo. n. d. Karōshi: Death from Overwork. Accessed February 16, 2018. http://www.ilo.org/safework/info/publications/WCMS_211571/ lang--en/index.htm.
overtaking others, such as family, work mates and the whole society in general. This methodology combination is a key element to achieve the paper's proposed objectives.
The described theme should be didactically organized into two more sections. The next one shall bring the concept, description and general occurrences of Karōshi paying special attention to the Karōjisatsu effect which is the ultimate and finishing line of the whole Karōshi labor process.
The other section shall be devoted to making the coalition of these labor law aspects with the existential and collective damage caused by Karōshi, trying to explain how this labor issue reproduces itself in a very suitable induced and prolific cultural medium.

過労死 (Karōshi) and 過労自殺 (Karōjisatsu): culture, work and death in Japan
Literally, in a free form textual translation, Karōshi means overwork death, despite not being a disease itself, it is the social factor for heart, cerebral, vascular problems or ischemic heart disease. As firstly described by Hosokawa, Tajiri and Uehata (1982, 5), Karōshi is a: […] condition of being permanently unable to work or dead due to accurately attacking ischemic heart disease such as myocardial infraction, or accurate heart failure caused by cerebral vascular diseases (CDV's) such as cerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage and cerebral infraction, because inherit health problems such as hypertension and arteriosclerosis are deteriorated by excessive work overload.
It is correct to declare that "Karōshi is understood as cerebral and/or cardiac disease, or death resulting from cerebral and/or cardiac disease, "triggered" or "induced" by excessive fatigue accumulation due to overwork" (Okudaira 2004, 206). The relationship between overwork, health problems and complications is the nuclear aspect in Karōshi definition.
This clinical and medical description shows how severe and harmful Karōshi is described in medical literature and the specialized media.
Along those lines, another very solid medical description of Karōshi indicates that it is: […] a cause and effect relationship between work and illness, life-threatening health statuses caused by the exacerbation of existing conditions such as high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis due to unsound health practices brought on by overworking (Morioka 2008, 5).
It is a social-medical term, established by physicians and lawyers, although there are no official or government endorsed studies or statistics, the "Hotline Network" compilation case report shows that the organization received nearly 5,000 requests for counselling in June, 1998 and almost half of these requests resulted in actual deaths (Ishida 2004, 220). Karōshi is a symbol of overworked Japan and it contrasts itself with astonishing economic growth and development achieved after World War II, then, it symbolizes the tension and distress of a hyper-industrialized and secularized communitarian society (Inoue 1993, 531 (North 1994, 56). Excruciating long-term labor time extensions (continuous overtime workdays) are commonly reported as a usual work routine on Karōshi cases. The excess of overtime is the major element on Karōshi description.
Karōshi necessarily indicates employer negligence: "care, which seems to be such a central part of human life, is treated as so marginal a part of existence" (Tronto 1993, 111). Stress accumulated due to frustration at not being able to achieve the goals set by the company is another cause. The stress is even more accentuated by the culture of 世 間 (Seken), or the "public gaze" (others' opinions about one's behavior). Seken is a sociological thought and possesses a religious meaning (in Buddhism) designating private feelings and intimate compassion (Ogino 2013, 97). It was increasingly aggressive in Japanese culture after World War II due to the process of transformation into a private society of business interests dominated by steadily growing consumption, mass production and industrialization: a universal but undemocratic, in essence, process (Hein 2009, 66). The cultural heritage of Seken mixed with the wild and aggressive form of industrial capitalism put into shape after WW II created a social and pernicious pressure on Japanese workers.
The third cause is forced resignation, dismissal, and bullying, or better put, the terror and the fear of these acts of rejection on labor environment. This is the main reason why "some companies resorted to bullying and harassment of middleaged employees to force them to voluntarily resign" (Clegg and Bailey 2008, 747). To prevent, or to be ahead of the events, some employees anticipate the effects of dismissal or resignation and express Karōshi's "symptoms".
The last probable cause for Karōshi is the occurrence of "middle management". This business term stands for "intermediate management of a hierarchical organization that is subordinate to the executive management and responsible for at least two lower levels of junior staff" (Aucoin 1990, 91). Regarding the transitional figure middle managers occupy, they are responsible for implementing company policies in the most efficient way, but, as much as they do so, they also suffer with these policies. In a vicious cycle, they are agents and patients (semi-executive position, subordination and duties make them a hybrid type of employee) of the labor environment they are in charge of creating, they inflict and suffer the effects of Karōshi as much as they are the same cause of such phenomenon.
Work rate and productiveness may vary a lot, from person to person, gender to gender, age to age, therefore, it is correct to say that: "the relationship between work hours and mental and physical health is not linear" (Kuroda and Yamamoto 2016, 16). Yet, surely, "working more than 50 hours per week notably erode mental health of workers" (Kuroda and Yamamoto 2016, 17). Nowadays, in Japan, in order to being approved for the mental illness of workers' compensation insurance caused by work related factors, and to avoid new lawsuit cases as well, the current standard criteria requires workers to prove that he or she worked more than 160 hours of overtime work for the most recent month or more than 120 hours of overtime work per month for the last several consecutive months (Kawahito 2014, 38  shows even the slightest interest in his family, his evaluation will suffer considerably (Hamao 1997, 90). Their career must be built upon "selfsacrifices" and "loyalty", "service overtime" is taken for granted for being a good Salaryman, and their work routine is inhumane, for such overload of work. When they do not commit as expected they are an object of sneer, derision, and mockery, being ridiculed, smirked and chaffed for not being able to achieve high loyalty expectations. The can be considered as cut from the same cloth; they only differ in its execution, but share the same twisted and ominous hard working origin.
One of the best descriptions summarize 過 労自殺 (Karōjisatsu) as: "suicide resulting from overwork-related harassment and/or depression" (North and Morioka 2016, 60). Another very good summarizing concept is given by Kawahito (2014, 25): "Karōjisatsu has been recognized as a work related accident by the law only when the work is the cause of mental disorder and the worker loses the rational ability to evaluate suicide". In Both are derived from a cultural context of excess of work and are found among workers in all jobs and all age groups (Kumazawa 2010, 50). It is a pacific standpoint deeply discussed on this paper, but their derivation is different.

Meanwhile
Karōshi is direct answer of worker's body to labor environmental sickness, Karōjisatsu is the psychological derivation of Karōshi's happening, and, for sure, an indirect effect of Japanese cultural overworked oppressive model of production and management (the so called JPM). Both phenomena are accrued from work, and more specifically, from a sick work environment, from oppressive labor routines, systems and organization -a tort law legal assumption duty (Hanami and Komiya 2011, 147) -; but, they differ radically on some aspects, and these differences shall be mooted ahead. It is the kickstarting point to understanding how mental health problems can be associated to job stress, long hours working and strenuous work environmental elements.
In general cases of suicide, it is listed that almost 50% of the victims leave suicidal notes or any other kind of message (Hoberman and Garfinfel 1988, 690). The statistics are very similar, not to say they are the same, for the cases of lack of hope. So, it is correct to assume that it is unlikely to prevent suicide without appropriate action from employers and the immediate family aid (Takahashi et al. 1998, 280). As much as the overworking context progresses, so does the family, getting away from daily living activities together and the harder the employer's actions become toward worker productivity and work ratio.

An existential damage: cultural and collective elements in 過労死 (Karōshi) prevalence
It is very important to impose that Karōshi is not just an isolated event, it is not just a sole and unfortunate happening in labor (law) field, something that happens and must remain with no The extension of Karōshi's outrageous effects transcends the mere individual aspect, mainly, because its genesis is thorn inside the very core of a disruptive management and production mode, previously discussed. Besides, this transcending extension of damages will cause (and its tort law repercussion as well), such as shall be explained later in this paper, a full existential damage, a kind of damage that inflicts the sole worker being in its own existence, as much as it ceases, and also harms the whole society as well, once the worker (conceived as a Dasein) is a being-with others (Mitsein).
To start the adequate comprehension of how wide the effects of Karōshi can be, it is mandatory to make some philosophical statements based Dasein holds what can be called a preontological comprehension of the world. It is the only living being able to uphold this kind of comprehension (Heidegger 1962, 32). The perception of the world and the way the things and others (Daseins) can be seen and perceived goes beyond the ontological way of "contact".
So, the question of the being, and how Dasein is and how things can be, is the main question to be made, it is the pivotal question to philosophy and metaphysics. Dasein is able to conceive others and other things before they are actually something to the world, just because Dasein is Insein, or, a being-into-the-world. The world is not something given beyond the objects and how they simply are. This is how we have a preontological comprehension, to not perceive anything as something strange or out of the world which we are all thrown. This is why the Dasein exists, but other things (except other Dasein) simply are, but they never will be able to truly exist. Heidegger (1962) may deny the truth as the "subject's truth", once he does not intend to compromise himself with some systematic concept of metaphysical tradition connecting "object" and "subject" (such as Descartes do). So Heidegger engender his efforts into characterizing truth as something close to man (Dasein) and not something put into the fact world, objectively speaking. Dasein lives and gets along with others, but truth is not an external thing for him, it is a part of itself, it's truly given itself (Ericksen 2017, 33).
Truth, existence and everything else than can be afforded in a material way of discretion, such as happiness or sadness are given inside the world; nothing is externally provided to anyone who is described as a Dasein (everyone else to say, in any way possible). There is no external channel able to describe Dasein by itself, no natural cause can assert its existence into the world, just like if his/her own life was not yet to be lived. So, the only way to describe Dasein is by its own meanings, it is by its own comprehension of the world, unveiling the question of being, and all these errands and missions can be fulfilled by the mediation of culture.
The work environment and reality are a major part of the cultural world, as a being-in-the-world (in an In-Sein perception, as briefly described before). To think how man develops its key abilities and prowess is a cultural exercise, there is no human development departed from labor and work in any single possible way.
World and labor are two concepts deeply entwined; there is no way to tear them apart. This relation is better explained, philosophically, when it is stated that, for Hegel (2004) as for Heidegger: "being appears in producing itself" (Goldmann 1977, 50). The way man (or Dasein) produces itself is in the world and for the world. Taking decisions in front of possibilities (provided by the world) is the way man has to live on the weight of his own choices. The forms of relation between Dasein and the world are forms of incompletion, there is even something yet to be done, thus, man is never whole by itself, or, even for himself at last. Dasein is always projecting new ideas and new possibilities into the world, but it is a dimension not ever completed, never outlasted in its fullness at all. Regarding this subject, Andrew Feenberg (1995, 52)  just because it is a pre-ontological form of caring, so it comes before anything else inside thesocial -world), in a particular existential instance. Heidegger (1962, 307) divides the mode of being-with-others in two major stances of existential possibilities: an authentic form, solely named "being-with-others", and an inauthentic one, named Das Man, in German, or "the they", in English. He is not so clear about the authentic process of collective being-with-others, this is one major point that Karl Löwith highlights in his analysis, and it is amplified because Heidegger dodges any straightforward political disclosure on his texts (Górnisiewicz 2016, 95). The fact of not being so clear about collective authenticity is not a major issue for this work's purpose. It is more relevant to focus on the inauthentic form of collectiveness named "the they". It assumes a major role because this is the everyday form of living, the most repeating and common way of interacting with others. This is the form of beingwith-others where we can find labor relations and labor existential facts, in short, this is where and how the work environment is built.
Labor and other work-related issues are daily faced in an inauthentic facade of the world; this way of being-into-the-world is the inauthentic manner of usually dealing with others. There is no major existential aspect to be found in labor "praxis", even though it can be considered the way of developing the spirit, as pledges Hegel (2004) The way towards death is the path of authenticity so pursued by Heidegger (1962, 279). The world, by itself, is never enough, it never is and never will be capable of making Dasein whole. The one and only possibility of being-a-whole is presented by death, or, in other words, in the way Dasein is able to face his own death. Here, Heidegger is not thinking about the natural process of death, as a simple fact, urgent by its own time. He is thinking about death in an existential context, death means the end of all possibilities, the end of being anything, but, in the same way, the event of death can bring wholeness to the being. Nothing misses or can be missed beyond death, there is a state of being that speaks against all possibilities, everything that is whole is complete, does not misses or loses any of its parts, it is fulfilled by its perfection. This is the existential aspect of death Heidegger wants to present.
It is a major aspect to explain how Dasein can face authenticity by death because if death comes in an earlier stage of life, in an authentic manner, without the possibility of being whole, which comes in the blink of an eye (Heidegger 1962, 434), an outrageous existential damage is happening. Basically, living as "the they" undercovers any possibility of being-towardsdeath, but when death comes by working, and by living inauthentically with others, the damage done is beyond repair. It would be different if Dasein would always live authentically, always facing its own death, as a whole, nothing will be extraordinary, and even death would not be considered a strange thing. But, taking the labor environment as a good example, the event of death caused by overworking is an existential damage, something that cuts off any possibility of being authentic at all, a visceral and lashing hit on Dasein's existence.
Characterizing Karōshi as an existential damage is the major intent of this essay. Karōshi is also displayed in a cultural formation, something very similar to "the they" daily basis construction of Heidegger, it is place into falling and represents the decadence of labor world in its core. Karōshi is only detectable in collective groups and labor associations, it is culturally developed (the Japanese culture is where it reaches its peak) and represents an irreparable damage to the worker's existence, mainly, because it suddenly ceases all possibilities into nothingness.
So, thrown into the falling and decadence of "the they", there is not much left for a worker inside Karōshi's system, the way death will be faced is in an inauthentic manner, in a sick environment, with an incommensurable damage to its own existence. To support Karōshi is to annihilate any form of authentic form of living, individual or collective speaking.

Conclusions
Karōshi is a very complex phenomenon and a huge existential damage to the labor world. It can be considered a vicious and pernicious way of organizing labor structures and its damages are countless. Going beyond its medical conditions and physical aspects, so much was debated and scrutinized in the second section of this paper, it is very important to bring out the collective and the cultural elements of Karōshi, without such cultural base, there is no way of comprehending its main aspects and concepts, and the reason for that resides in the fact that Karōshi is not a simple and unfortunate fact, not just a sad occurrence in the labor environment.
The other key element on Karōshi's construction is the JPM, the Japanese model for management and work. Despite being true to say that JPM catalyzes this overworking input to demand even more work and extra dedication. JPM also has brought the figure of the middle manager, which gathers together characteristics of two sides, employers and employees, mixing them together, demanding more loyalty, more work, and sometimes a true devotion towards labor. The middle manager is charged with extraordinary demands, even harder shifts of work and is also responsible for collecting and demanding a high level of production and work commitment from their subordinates. This way of organizing and structuring the work environment is a JPM signature; it is a way to implement the work rate and to make it faster and cheaper as well. As we can see, when these practices are focused and incorporated on daily basis production, one of the probable results is Karōshi and its derelicts effects on human health, making the workplace ill and even leading to suicide, the also discussed before Karōjisatsu.
Karōshi by definition demands a sudden death occurrence, but, one of its effects is It is easy to assume how pernicious and harmful to workers' fundamental rights Karōshi is. Since it is so harmful, the pivotal intent of this paper is to conceptualize it as an existential damage by itself, something cultural and collective developed but inflicted right into the worker's existence. The usual perspective of falling and decadence experienced by "the they" is the plain and simple background for Karōshi prevalence. So, in this philosophical and existential perspective, Karōshi inauthentically damages the worker, ripping off any other authentic form of living, either individually or collectivelly.
Karōshi corrupts non-harmful forms of being-withothers, bringing sudden and unexpected death to workplaces and environments.
Finally, it is important to say Karōshi should be prevented in order to preserve a healthy work environment, free from long overtime hours and never ending shifts. It is a way of protecting the most fundamental right attained to any work in general, its health. More than that, it is a way of preserving its probability to an authentic existence, which cannot be harmed by such existential damage. And, if it occurs and it is diagnosed, it should be indemnified as such, with heavy punitive (existential) damages attached to it in order to prevent it in the future.