Tokyo court awards $209,000 to employee who worked 223 hours of overtime in a month

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

The plaintiff, a man in his 40s who was tasked with shipping and managing merchandise at the firm’s distribution center, also put in about 147 hours overtime in the previous month.

He sought 68 million yen in compensation.

The court, in its Feb. 22 ruling, recognized a causal relationship between his overtime work and the onset of depression, saying that the plaintiff’s workload increased significantly from November 2013 before he developed depression that affected his ability to sleep.

The ruling said the company could have anticipated his workload to become far heavier 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.

The plaintiff is still receiving treatment for a sleep disorder.

Takashi Kajiyama, a lawyer representing the plaintiff, said the ruling showed that companies will be held legally liable for failing to take measures to prevent long working hours.