Lost sleep is costing Japan's economy billions

TOKYO (Feb 16): Sleep deprivation is doing more harm in Japan than just making people grumpy and unhealthy. It is also holding back the world’s third-largest economy.

The problem has been getting worse in recent years. Nearly half of full-time workers say they don’t get enough sleep, citing long overtime hours as a primary reason, according to a government white paper on “karoshi”-- death from overwork.

That is largely the result of an unforgiving work culture that includes abundant overtime, said Junko Sakuyama, economist at Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute in Tokyo. 

---

Related Stories

• Lexus lessons for China in tackling tariffs
• Tokyo’s scorching summers focus public anger against tree cutting
• Daiwa House Logistics Trust reports 'improvement' in core Japan portfolio for 9MFY2024

---