English version - Fit for Work Europe

3. Work and MSDs in Japan
3.1
Why is
workforce
health
in Japan
important?
This section sets out what we know about the impact of MSDs on people of working age in
Japan. It uses data, research and interview evidence from Japanese sources where this is
available, and paints a picture of the challenges faced by both current and future Japanese
workers, their families, their employers and, ultimately, state agencies.
For many years Japan has been one of the strongest economies in the world, seeing a gradual
slowdown since the 1990s. Historically, the Japanese economy relied on the manufacturing,
construction, distribution, services, and agricultural sectors. However, following the downturn in
Europe and the US, many Japanese companies have shifted production overseas, leading to an
increase in unemployment rates. In addition, the tragic outcomes of the tsunami and earthquake
in 2011 have affected many manufacturing companies based in North-East Japan, while
radiation fears have negatively affected exports.
From the post-war period until the end of the 1980s the Japanese employment system was
characterised by the lifetime employment pattern, where promotion and wages were dependent
on seniority. While aspects of this system remain, in recent years the employment structure
has changed. The current economic climate means that Japanese companies are less likely to
take on regular staff, as part-time and agency workers are not entitled to the same employment
protection or benefits, and are easier to dismiss. The number of non-regular workers has
increased from under 20 per cent in 1980 to over 34.4 per cent in 2010. Of these, 16.6 per cent
were part-time jobs, 6.8 per cent – side jobs, 6.5 per cent – temporary positions, and 1.9 per
cent – agency workers (Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (JILPT), 2012).
The rise in non-regular workers has had severe consequences. Non-regular positions come with
less financial security, making it difficult for individuals to make long-term plans. Consequently
young people in these positions put off marriage and children, contributing further to the
declining birth rate. More importantly, insecure jobs have a detrimental effect on individuals’
health, reducing the number of productive working years, as well as having a negative effect
on the overall productivity (JILPT, 2012). Out of the fear of losing their jobs, many employees
may be putting in unpaid overtime: for example, 20 per cent of 30-year-old males in Japan work
over 60 hours per week – the degree of overtime which has been linked to physical and mental
health problems (JILPT, 2012).
Although the unemployment rate in Japan has been generally low for the past couple of
decades, the proportion of long-term unemployed is relatively high: in 2010 at least 37.6 per
cent of all unemployed people were without work for longer than a year. 2
2 See Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) http://stats.oecd.org/
Fit For Work? Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Japanese Labour Market 15