School teachers in Japan work more than 11 hours a day: survey

Oct 31, 2018 | News On Japan

Oct 31, 2018 (Kyodo) - Teachers and officials at elementary, junior high and high schools across Japan are working more than 11 hours per day on average, raising concern about serious health repercussions or even deaths, a government survey showed Tuesday.

Senior staff such as vice principals were found to have worked particularly long hours, with their daily average standing at about 12.5 hours.

This means they worked 4.5 extra hours per day, or 90 hours per month, well over the 80-hour monthly overtime threshold, beyond which the risk of "karoshi" or death from overwork, could increase.

In the survey which drew responses from some 35,000 school teachers and officials, 80.7 percent said they have stress or concerns related to work, of whom 43.4 percent cited long working hours as the cause of their distress in a multiple-choice question.

Among other reasons behind stress, 40.2 percent cited personal relationships at work and 38.3 percent dealing with parents.

The survey results were mentioned in a white paper on measures to prevent death from overwork adopted by the government on Tuesday. The document was released based on a law to promote steps against death from overwork, which came into force in 2014.

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.