A judge ruled that a Toyota Motor Corp employee died of overwork after logging more than 106 hours of overtime in a month, reversing a ministry’s earlier decision not to pay compensation to his widow.

The employee died of irregular heartbeat in February 2002 after passing out in the factory around 4 a.m.

Overworking is a serious issue in Japan, where an average worker uses less than 50 percent of paid holidays, according to government data. (Reuters)

In fiscal year only 2005-2006, the labor ministry received 315 requests for compensation from the bereaved families of workers who died of strokes and other illnesses seen as work-related. OMG, that is a huge number!