Workaholism is hardly a Japanese monopoly. It is prevalent, among other places, throughout eastern Asia, where it is a prime spur to economic advance. But those who have toiled should be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. For too many Asian employees, the pressures of work have blotted out the wider pleasures and responsibilities of life. When a society treasures hard toil to the point of illness or even death, the work ethic becomes perverted and counter-productive.
Greater affluence means the region can afford to strike a healthier balance between work and play.
In the land of karoshi itself, hotlines are being set up to counsel the relatives of victims. Court rulings, too, are helping foster the notion that karoshi is a serious social problem. All this is a necessary precursor of real solutions. To retain its competitiveness, Asia must always maintain its traditions of hard work. But fatal excesses cannot possibly do any society any good.