Karoshi means death by overwork and has been common in Japan for decades.

There is a deep rooted mentality in Japan to work at the risk of one's life.

It's part of the Japanese social culture.

There's also the idea of selfless devotion.

Often it's been characterized as salary men,

where men commit themselves above all else to the profession.

Now the plight of women affected by overwork is coming more into focus

following high-profile deaths and the signs more women are suffering.

More and more women have been contacting the keroshi hotline than ever before.

Contact from females increased by 190% after COVID last April.

I'm Yoshi Matsumoto and I'm trying to find out why women are dying because of the work they do here on the BBC World Service. The first official death from Karoshi was in 1969 and the phenomenon has been

part of the culture here ever since. has been

devastating. Some say it's a thing of the past,

but for me, with parents,

Emiko and Mamor Rosado, it's all too present.

All I can remember is her smile. Ever since she was a child, she didn't have tantrums,

and she often stopped her siblings when they were fighting.

When Miva was there, the conflict was... and she often stopped her siblings when they were fighting.

When Miva was there, the conflict was always over.

Her working hours were 2009 hours in July.

The month before that was 188.

We looked at me was work schedule, her computer log in and log off records, and her mobile phone.

...