Intense work continues at Tokyo Olympic stadium site two years before deadline

How is this news?  News would be "No work going on with only 2 years to go".........

Last year, construction was one of most karoshi-prone sectors in Japan, with 16 victims acknowledged by the government.

wow, this stat blew my mind. of all the industries, whoduthunk construction would top the list?! there is someting very wrong with this country if people feel like they just can't quit their job.  here's a phrase every worker should learn, "Take this job and shove it."

In many ways Japan can rub me the wrong way...but when it comes to large construction of complex buildings and such, I do not thing Japan has another equal so I'm sure this stadium will be on time and made well.

With its completion deadline just over two years away, work is intense.

Intense? Let's try a few more relevant adjectives: Frantic, hectic, un-regulated, uncertain.

You can bet your butt there are workers who are on site 16 hours a day, 7 days a week and breaking the 'karoshi' limit.

Even the limit of 100 hours per month overtime is flipping ridiculous! The standard working month is 120 hours for 4 weeks work. If you add another hundred hours, that is over an extra three weeks work per month. That means, people are doing double the amount of work they should be doing. WHY is this necessary? Is it from unrealistic deadlines? Poorly trained staff? Extremely bad project management and production scheduling? Or, is it just because companies refuse to hire more staff and expect employees to fill the gaps to increase profit margins for the company? Sadly, I fear the latter is the truth!

A construction worker left a note saying that the 200hrs overtime had driven him to this extreme, The Department of Labour and Standards are still investigating from APRIL, perhaps April next year they could form a group to discuss what to do, recommending that another group conviene to discuss the way the note was written, was it in accordance with accepted norms or did it contain errors that devalue it to a point that negates his death and absolves his company relieving the Department of Labour from any responsibility.

How is anyone forced to work 16hrs they can walk out and find new work.

Basic problem is workers agree when they join a company? Same for any salaried worker.

Anyone stopped you walking out early?

The operators have since taken measures and the working environment has improved.

Improved how? From what to what? How many shell companies before and after?  

The construction was more than a year behind schedule when it started, as an earlier stadium plan was scrapped because of a spiraling cost and unpopular design.

Not true. It won a Japanese lead design competition, where the entry company designer Zaha Hadid wasn't allowed to partner with a construction company, (costs are too high!) whose design was then stolen, suddenly allowed to be partnered by a Japanese construction company, (costs are now low!) then with a reduced design, and is now the revised one now currently under construction. Her company sued the Olympics for stealing, and since then Hadid mysteriously died.

You can't rewrite the truth when anyone can look up all the shady deals. They get reported in the outside.

In fact, what isn't a scandal and linked to the Olympics?

sf2k that is so rude of you to bring "facts" into the discussion! Just because the stadium has a striking resemblance to a foreigners plan, uses wood from protected areas and is exempt from labour laws you insinuated that corruption is endemic, I'll refute that with this overstuffed envelope and a seat in the Diet.

Suzuki cited the suicide this year of a worker linked to overwork, or karoshi, and addressed the concerns about the working environment at the project. He reminded main construction company Taisei Corp and the Japan Sport Council, the government-funded stadium operator, to keep close tabs on overwork.

I've worked in construction and demolition as well as truck driving delivering materials for construction companies. These people work 6-7 days a week. The average construction worker has sunday off. They usually work monday to friday starting at around 7:30am and it is not unusual at all to see them stil at the site at 9pm or later. 6 days a week. Now if you are a foreman- you will be working 7 days a week and you often have to sleep on site. Now this was before the Olympics, so I don't know what's going on now there now, but it aint getting any better. Suzuki is talking out of the side of his mouth.

Last year, construction was one of most karoshi-prone sectors in Japan, with 16 victims acknowledged by the government.

and yet.

The construction sector is excluded from the government's planned tightening of overtime limits for the time being.

Why?

sf2k - since then Hadid mysteriously died.

A heart attack in an American hosptial while being treated for bronchitis according to a quick search. Can you clarify what was mysterious about it?

The other stuff is true as far as I know.

cucashopboy

Yeah that's correct. It just came off as odd to me. The statements I made above are true so I wanted to leave those about speculation out of it.

Her death was particularly odd to me personally. I have had bronchitis since I was a kid and am susceptible to bad air conditions such that I check the PM50 weather ratings. Generally caused by pollution injury to the lungs.

I just took it as a fantastic coincidence that the one suing the Olympics conveniently dies which saves it from more scandal and a public lawsuit for her stolen stadium designs. It of course certainly can be, but it's not impossible to consider it a result of foul play for me. Bad air, if you know the trigger, is easy to simulate from an aerosol can or another source. I have that same problem depending on the brand of air freshener. If it were done intentionally I don't think I would survive either.

Conspiracy I know, but it's possible that it was important enough to get her out of the way of the brown envelopes that were threatened by continual lawsuits and media attention. It certainly should have warranted an investigation.

I left the facts in my earlier comment. Clearly this one doesn't have the veracity, but the incident does give me pause about business dealing in Japan and the pride of construction companies.

I worked with Zaha and saw her emotional approach to her work. I have no doubt that the stress caused by the cancellation of her prize-winning project contributed to her death. The cancellation was xenophobic and shameful. They had to scrap the roof and fudge the figures to claim they had reduced the costs of the project.

These people work 6-7 days a week.

This has been the norm for decades, not saying it is right, but people know what they are getting into when they take the job. I have worked up to three days with no sleep and one month I clocked 170 hours overtime. The only option you have is to quit.

Kantoku's have it the worst, the stress kills them or they kill themselves.

As for overtime, I have only worked for one construction company that paid OT, and they were a Yak company in the mid 80's, every other place it was 0 overtime pay, though the daily wage was around 15,000 yen. I don't believe they make that much now, my Bother-in-law used to make 21,000 yen a day in the 80' and 90's, but now he is only making 10,000 yen a day at the same job he has been doing for the last 46 years.

I don't see this changing in the near future, but it would be nice if they started treating hard working people as well as they treat politicians!

whose design was then stolen, suddenly allowed to be partnered by a Japanese construction company,

that's only half true. her base design for the core of the stadium was used/stolen by the new japanese architecte. but the rest of her design for the outer shell and roofing was trashed because it didn't supposedly mesh with the local surroundings, cost for materials was high, and cost to lay a foundation deep enough to uphold the futuristic roof.

but coud you really say hadid's design for the stadium were better than the japanese design? it's debatable.

and i think most countries hosting the olympics would want as much of it produced in-house as possible, including the design of stadiums. i remember the scandal involving made in china clothes of ralph lauren for the USA team. since then, all uniforms had to be made in 'merica. fair enough.