By RYOKO TAKAHASHI/ Staff Writer
November 12, 2024 at 08:00 JST
A government survey found that 35.2 percent of workers in the arts and entertainment sector put in more than 60 hours a week, including breaks, according to a labor ministry report.
While a direct comparison can’t be made, only 5.5 percent of the overall workforce works more than 60 hours a week, highlighting the particularly long hours in the industry.
The 2024 White Paper on Measures to Prevent Karoshi (overwork-related death), released by the ministry on Oct. 11, focused on the arts and entertainment sector. The survey was conducted from October to December last year.
The report noted that harassment was also widespread.
Among all staff, including directors, producers, technicians and scriptwriters, 42 percent reported being told things that hurt emotionally, and 22.3 percent experienced being hit, kicked, beaten or yelled at.
The arts and entertainment industry has many freelancers who are in a weak bargaining position.
Notable transactional issues included 51 percent not being informed of the amount of compensation before accepting jobs and 36.1 percent being given unrealistic deadlines.
The survey also revealed that 30.5 percent of workers in the sector showed signs of depression or anxiety disorders, higher than the 26.5 percent in the overall workforce.
The freelance law, set to take effect in November, will require companies hiring these workers to clearly state the compensation and job details at the time of the signing of the contract, as well as to implement measures against power and sexual harassment.
This year marks a decade since the enactment and implementation of the 2014 law promoting measures to prevent death and injury from overwork.
While the total annual working hours per worker had been gradually decreasing, the number has leveled off since 2021.
The number of mental health disorders recognized as work-related injuries and illnesses has seen a significant increase, reaching a record high of 883 cases in fiscal 2023.
“The growing awareness of overwork-related deaths and the rise in claims have contributed to this increase,” a ministry official said.
Public sector urged against tight turnaround business orders
May 25, 2021
Most suicides due to overwork less than week after signs of ill health
October 27, 2021
Death of man, 62, from gastric ulcer recognized as work-related
June 4, 2023
Despite mothers’ pleas, suicides from overwork not decreasing
June 19, 2024
Overtime budget requests reflect long work hours of bureaucrats
October 27, 2021
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
