Working late at night is threatening this long-held cycle and destroying personal health. Economic globalization is not the only factor behind karoshi. The combination of excessive competition among Japanese companies and globalization further aggravates health conditions. To draw a comparison, boxing is one of the most physically demanding sports. Two people wearing very little protection hit each other until one of them falls.
Some boxers suffer injuries and others die.
However, even in boxing there are safety precautions in place, like the ropes around the ring and the bells to signal the end of rounds, to put limitations of time and space on the sport. Human bodies require at least six hours of sleep every day to stay active and alert. Japanese corporate warriors continue to fight to the death without any ropes or bells. In our culture, there are no internal factors that restrict us from working. There is no religious custom that prevents us from working on certain days.