The parents of a Japanese worker have alleged that their son ended his life as he was being overworked to meet behind-schedule deadlines on an Olympic stadium in Tokyo, Reuters reported on Thursday. They have asked the government to recognise his death as a result of overwork.
The worker’s parents said he used to put in an average of 200 overtime hours a month as part of his role in the construction work of the new national stadium. The project got delayed as an initial design was rejected due to budget constraints, the news agency reported.
The stadium will expected to be completed by November 2019 in time for the Summer Olympics.
Japan Sport Council which manages the stadium and Taisei Corp which is part of the joint construction project confirmed the death of one of its staffers. “We have in the past called on the Taisei-led joint venture and its sub-contractors to scrupulously obey relevant laws, and will renew our calls,” the council’s statement said.
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