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Article: Asian giant's rigid culture hits a roadblock Hard work that made nation a superpower now posing problems Series: What Ails Japan?, First of two parts
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- March 22, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1998 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Japan is on the edge of enormous change. The system that brought
50 years of postwar growth has eroded beyond repair.
Even with its enormous wealth and many enviable ways of life, the
world's second-largest economy is in the early stages of transition.
How much do we know about the nation whose economy and culture is
increasingly influencing our own?
In Japan, people almost exclusively men still literally overwork
themselves to death. Karoshi, which means "death from overwork," is
a legally recognized category of worker's compensation, even
sometimes for suicide.
In Japan, where rigid gender roles are still the norm, women
endure a widely accepted dual career track. They're pushed out ...