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Sharp Increase in Acknowledged
Karoshi (Death caused by Overwork)

"The Condition with Workmen's Accident Compensation for Cerebrovascular Disease, Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), and Others [Proposals related to 'Karoshi (Death caused by overwork)']" and "Workmen's Accident Compensation for Mental Disorders" for the fiscal year 2001 was recently summarized by The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Table 1). Following last December with revisions to designated criteria for cerebral/cardiac disease, the statistical figures are the first to become available, illustrating workmen's accident compensation for cerebral/cardiac disease.

Table 1		Workmen's Accident Compensation for Cerebrovascular Disease, Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), and Others [Proposals related to "Karoshi"]
		(Cases)

Fiscal Year Classification		1999	2000	2001
Cerebrovascular Disease	Cases Claimed	316	448	452
Cerebrovascular Disease	Acknowledged Cases	49	48	96
Ischemic Heart Disease	Cases Claimed	177	169	238
Ischemic Heart Disease	Acknowledged Cases	32	37	47
Total	Cases Claimed	493	617	690
Total	Acknowledged Cases	81	85	143

Editing Notes:	1.	The above table summarizes Cerebrovascular Disease, Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), and Others (Proposals related to "Karoshi") falling under "Diseases Clearly Resulting from Employment" described in the attached table 1-2, No. 9 for the Enforcement Regulations of the Labour Standard Law.
Editing Notes:	2.	Cases acknowledged in a year are not limited to those which had been claimed during that same year.

Recent changes in the condition with workmen's accident compensation for cerebral/cardiac disease included: 1) The nationwide, professionally acknowledged cases numbered 143, a broad increase from the earlier year by 58 (68% increase); 2) Among the acknowledged 143 cases, 47 cases (33%) were identified as "work too heavy, conducted over a long period"; 3) 690 cases were claimed in the year, 73 cases greater (12% increase) than the previous year.

Meanwhile, "the professionally acknowledged number of cases" for "Workmen's Accident Compensation for Mental Disorders" counted 70. This was approximately two times the number in the previous year and the broad increase was similar to the increase of cases related to "cerebral/cardiac disease" (Table 2).

Table 2		Workmen's Accident Compensation for Mental Disorders
Table 2		(Cases)

Fiscal Year Classification		1999	2000	2001
Mental Disorder	Cases Claimed	155	212	265
Mental Disorder	Acknowledged Cases	14	36	70
Suicide (Attempts included)	Cases Claimed	93	100	92
Suicide (Attempts included)	Acknowledged Cases	11	19	31

Editing Notes:

1. Cases acknowledged in a particular year are not limited to those claimed in that year.

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