Photo/Illutration The Tokyo District Court (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The Tokyo District Court ordered an internet mail order company to pay 24 million yen ($208,900) to a former employee who developed deep depression after putting in 223 hours of overtime in a single month.

The plaintiff, a man in his 40s who worked at a distribution center of the Tokyo-based firm, filed a lawsuit against his former employer, seeking 68 million yen in compensation.

According to the ruling, issued Feb. 22, the man was tasked with shipping and managing merchandise. He was diagnosed with depression in 2014.

The court recognized a causal relationship between his overtime work and the onset of depression, saying his workload increased significantly from November 2013 before he developed depression that affected his ability to sleep.

It ruled that he put in about 147 hours overtime during that month and about 223 hours the following month.

The ruling noted that the company could have anticipated his workload would become far heavier, citing an anticipated increase in shipments for the Christmas shopping season.

The court ruled that the firm failed in its duty to prevent the heavier workload from taking a toll on the man’s health.

At a news conference held after the ruling, the plaintiff said he is still receiving treatment for a sleep disorder.

“I hope this will serve as a guide to those suffering from long working hours so that they no longer need to grin and bear it,” he said.

“The ruling showed that companies will be held legally liable for failing to take measures to prevent long working hours,” said Takashi Kajiyama, a lawyer representing the plaintiff. “That will help keep those employers in check.”

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