Global Courant 2023-04-27 12:17:08
In the country where the word “work yourself to death” was coined – “karoshi” – it seems that nothing less than the loss of life would prevent some Japanese from carrying out their duties.
A delivery boy in Kyoto lost the tip of his finger on the job, but he continued his delivery run.
His severed fingertip was found on a street in Maizuru City, Kyoto police said Tuesday.
The man, who was in his 60s, told local authorities that he wedged his finger in the sliding door of his car and severed it. But he did not seek medical attention, police said, adding that there will be no further investigation.
The fingertip was found around 4:15 p.m. Monday by an elementary school student on his way home, and his mother reported it to Maizuru police station.
The severed portion was just under an inch past the first joint, with the fingernail still attached, according to the daily Kyoto Shimbun.
A clinical psychologist said overwork may have played a role in the man’s decision.
“It may have been a situation where he was prioritizing work, with thoughts like ‘I need to deliver quickly’ and ‘I just want to finish work as soon as possible,'” Dr Yasushi Fujii told Japanese TV show Abema Hills.
The term “karoshi” was first used in Japan in the 1970s in reference to an increasing number of people suffering from fatal strokes and heart attacks due to overwork.
A delivery driver in Japan can have up to 120 deliveries a day, and the volume doubled during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the independent watchdog Asian Labor Review.
Some independent contractors who deliver shipments for e-commerce giant Amazon said they work more than 13 hours a day to complete their routes.
In June 2022, the first Amazon delivery worker union was formed after a delivery driver in his 50s suffered an accident he attributed to exhaustion.
