In Japan, schoolteachers on verge of reaching breaking point confront overworking culture

Schoolteachers in the country work an average 123 hours of overtime each month, resulting in dozens of deaths from overwork

Some have challenged the culture through lawsuits, saying if conditions don’t improve, ‘the image of our profession as ‘black’ will dominate for younger generations’

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Sachiko Kudo, widow of former Japanese teacher Yoshio Kudo who died of overwork, at her home in Machida, a city in the greater Tokyo area. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:25am, 17 Dec 2022

In one of his last diary entries, Japanese teacher Yoshio Kudo lamented workdays that started early and could last until nearly midnight. Two months later, he suffered “karoshi” – death from overwork.

Kudo’s taxing schedule was far from an exception in Japan, where teachers work some of the longest hours in the world, saddled with tasks from cleaning and supervising school commutes to after-school clubs.

A 2018 OECD survey found Japanese middle schoolteachers work 56 hours a week, versus an average 38 hours in most developed countries.

But that still fails to account for astonishing amounts of overtime.

One probe by a union-affiliated think tank showed schoolteachers work an average 123 hours of overtime each month, pushing their weekly workload well beyond the so-called “karoshi line” of 80 hours.

Teachers say they are reaching the breaking point, and some have challenged the culture through lawsuits. This year, Japan’s ruling party established a task force to study the issue.