Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet recently passed a bill that would prohibit companies from paying white-collar employees overtime pay.
Critics say the bill - dubbed the "no overtime bill" - can only result in increased deaths and health problems, affecting at least 1.8 million people who are mostly working as financial experts and consultants.
Deaths as the result of stroke, heart attack and suicide have been on the rise in Japan, and the root cause of these critical conditions has been the nation's long working hours, according to a report published on Yahoo. In fact, the Japanese have a term for this grueling lifestyle: "karōshi" or "death from overwork."
"The government wants to create a system in which companies don't have to pay for overtime. It could accelerate deaths from overwork," said Koji Morioka, a professor working at Kwansei Gakuin University, as reported by Yahoo.
Morioka also said the bill goes against other legislation currently being debated, which protects employees against having to work long hours. Among the provisions in this particular bill include paid holidays, according to a report from The Guardian.
Proponents of the latest bill, however, think the no overtime policy will offer more flexibility for workers because they would be rewarded for being productive, rather than being caught up with the number of work hours.
The bill does not require that employees remain at work for an overtime period; the only requirement is that they finish their daily assignments satisfactorily.
