Japan sets record for work-related mental illness claims for 7th straight year

Japan last year approved a record number of workers' compensation claims for mental illness caused by workplace stress, with harassment by supervisors, abusive complaints from customers and sexual harassment cited as the leading causes.

According to Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, as reported by NHK and other outlets Thursday, 1,086 workers received workers' compensation approval for mental illnesses including depression last year — 28 more than the previous year and a record high for the seventh consecutive year.

However, 76 of those workers had died by suicide or attempted to do so, down 13 from the previous year.

The single largest cause behind approved mental illness claims was workplace harassment — including gapjil, abusive conduct by superiors — affecting 222 workers.

Abusive complaints from clients or customers, involving verbal abuse or excessive demands, and sexual harassment each accounted for 127 cases. Sudden changes in job duties or workload (113 cases) and directly experiencing or witnessing a traumatic accident or disaster on the job (110 cases) were also identified as major causes.

By contrast, the number of workers approved for compensation due to cardiovascular or cerebrovascular illness caused by overwork fell by 23 from the previous year to 224, including 69 deaths.

Experts pointed to a worsening labor shortage as a key driver behind the rise in mental illness claims.

Analysts said that as staff shortages increase workloads, the space for communication and consideration in the workplace erodes, fueling more conflict.

Eguchi Hisashi, a professor at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health Japan, said mental health should not be treated as a personal matter. "Organizations as a whole must take responsibility for it," he said, adding that companies should establish regular communication channels and put systematic measures in place at the corporate level.