Japanese employee sets workplace on fire due to stress and work pressure

A part-time worker in Japan was arrested by the authorities after burning down his place of work due to burnout and stress brought by his job.

According to reports, 32-year-old Tatsuya Matsuzawa set fire to the Ken Depot Soka Sezaki retail warehouse store in Soka, Saitama Prefecture, Japan where he was given a dual role in the delivery and security department. 

Matsuzawa committed the crime at 5:45 pm while a number of customers and employees were in the shop.

The suspect used a large amount of wood and toilets, and other combustible materials like sprays and paint to set the fire.

When asked by the investigators about his motive, Matsuzawa who's now facing charges of arson said "I was too stressed at work, so I set the store on fire," despite him knowing the course of his work prior to accepting the job.

Stress work hours and a straining burnout culture have been a long-time problem for the employees in Japan. According to Japanese activists, about 10,000 workers die in the country every year because of this phenomenon which they refer to as Karoshi which translates to "overwork death."

Source: The Philippine Star