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Examining Karoshi Culture in Animation

Karoshi Culture in AnimationJapan, known for its global economic power, has started developing solutions to Karoshi, or death by overwork. This phenomenon started in the late 1960s and gained media traction in the 1990s when several company executives died suddenly. Karoshi culture in animation, specifically, is a significant issue as workers experience unlivable wages and long hours.

How Prominent is Karoshi Culture?

The Hitotsubashi Journal of Social Studies suggests that the exploitation of Japanese workers is a Western disease that has caused as many deaths as motor vehicle accidents. This issue is specific to Japan because of the “workaholic” mindset of the Japanese economy. On average, Japanese workers do 100 to 200 more overtime hours than other developed nations.

Karoshi’s Effect on Animators

Karoshi culture in animation largely has to do with wage theft and overwork. In 2010, a 28-year-old animator committed suicide shortly after he quit his job. The animator worked hundreds of hours of overtime without pay for several months. An online journal that the animator kept documented that he had only taken three days off in 10 months and worked as late as 4 a.m.

Young workers are consistently the most exploited demographic as highly sought out animators still work for abysmal wages. The median wage for animators in 2019 was $36,000, with many low-end illustrators making as little as $200 per week. Comparatively, the average animator in the United States makes between $65,000 to $75,000.

Companies can get away with this because many animators are self-employed or freelance workers. Employees receive pay on a per-project basis, which means that employers can refuse to pay animators if they do not complete more work. This financial insecurity often drives workers to suicide or the hospital. Many workers have died from heart attacks or strokes.

Karoshi and the Japanese Economy

Many animators must choose between their job and starting families. Animator Ryosuke Hirakimoto told The Japan Times that he had never made more than $38 a day. He ultimately quit after his first child was born. Hirakimoto “started to wonder if this lifestyle was enough.”

Animators leaving, either by death or by choice, could ultimately hurt the global anime market. Most anime production is based in Tokyo and the industry is worth more than $20 billion. Anime provides great economic prosperity for Japan. The global pandemic has only increased sales and streaming as more individuals seek entertainment while stuck indoors.

Alongside workers leaving, the lack of pay means a lack of contributions to the economy. Animators will likely choose to spend their money on necessities because they cannot afford luxuries.

Recent Progress

Japanese citizens recently developed an organization called the National Defense Counsel for Victims of KAROSHI. It offers consultations on compensation for work-related stress, diseases, disabilities or death. Much of the organization’s work is dedicated to preventing Karoshi and helping those affected by Karoshi.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Japan reported that the average citizen worked 1,598 hours in 2020. This prompted the Japanese government to introduce a plan to encourage businesses to offer four-day workweeks.

Since overwork and pay discrepancies are leading causes of the phenomena, the implementation of a four-day workweek could solve many issues stemming from Karoshi culture in animation. Japan recommends that companies reduce their hours or keep better track of overtime to promote the educational and familial prospects of employees.

Moving Forward

Japan’s Karoshi culture in animation will not resolve easily. There is a lot that requires addressing beyond the economic factors, including the social stigma of taking time off. The next move for the government is implementing legislation to solidify shorter workweeks as the population ages and shrinks. 

– Camdyn Knox
Photo: Pixabay

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Addressing Turkish Educational Inequality

Turkish Educational InequalityWith the COVID-19 pandemic creating economic distress in Turkey, the need for NGOs, nonprofits and organizational aid is bigger than ever. One NGO, the Darüşşafaka Society, is providing much-needed support for one of Turkey’s most vulnerable populations: children. As Turkey’s oldest non-governmental organization in the field of education, the Darüşşafaka Society has served as a model for combating Turkish educational inequality and remains one of the most prominent NGOs in Turkey today.

Low Enrollment Rates in Turkish Schools

In comparison to the majority of EU countries, Turkey has a larger issue with educational enrollment. In 2016, Turkey hit a peak in terms of the percentages of out-of-school adolescents since 2012. The UNESCO Institute of Statistics found that approximately 523,363 Turkish adolescents were unenrolled, surpassing the previous year by almost 100,000 youths.

While this number has declined in recent years, 2019 data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that the percentage of Turkish 15-to-19-year-olds who were unemployed and out of school was 17% still far above the average 6.6% for OECD countries.

Academic and Socioeconomic Inequality in Turkey

A contributing factor to these numbers is Turkish educational inequality, which impacts technological access, enrollment rates and academic performance overall.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the issue of Turkish educational inequality. Reports indicate the true severity of the situation, stating that 20% of Turkish students had internet connection issues in 2020, limiting online learning accessibility and resources for students across the country. Additionally, the financial stress of the pandemic put many families in a tight spot, unable to afford necessary tools like school supplies, computers and technological resources. Households were also unable to pay for data and the internet to connect to online classes.

The History of Darüşşafaka Society

For many needy children and families, relief has come in the form of the Darüşşafaka Society. Darüşşafaka Society is the oldest Turkish NGO in the field of education, originally founded in 1863 as a part of Cemiyet-i Tedrisiyye-i İslamiye or the Islamic Education Society. High-standing intellectuals in Turkey founded Darüşşafaka Society in order to establish formal education channels for needy children and orphans, teaching basic skills like reading, writing and math when governmental efforts fell short.

In more than 100 years since its founding, Darüşşafaka Society has become an integral part of the fight against Turkish educational inequality, providing educational and financial support to needy and orphaned students and expanding on its original mission by constructing a physical campus in Istanbul. The Society offers full scholarships to students as well as complete coverage of all healthcare, living and academic expenses. These costs are covered through donations made to The Society. The initiative also strives for scholarship support to its students during their tertiary studies.

Success Stories

The Society’s impact on Turkish educational inequality can be seen through the stories of students, faculty and alumni. One such story is that of Dr. Nahit Çakar, a professor of anesthesiology at Istanbul University who was admitted to Darüşşafaka after struggling to pay for education. Çakar, while not an orphan, was a student with significant financial hardships that prevented accessibility to prestigious schools.

Çakar says, “We learned about friendship, camaraderie. We were a group of people coming from the same deprivation and poverty.” After graduating from Darüşşafaka, Çakar went on to become a doctor and professor, aiming to pay forward the gift of education.

Funding for Darüşşafaka Society comes primarily from local community donors, but The Society has also found itself in the sights of international corporations in recent years. A 2011 interview with Saffet Karpat, chairman of the Procter & Gamble Turkey Board of Directors, highlighted the “Dream to Reality” flagship project with the Darüşşafaka Society as part of the company’s social responsibility campaign in Turkey. The program has helped more than 10,000 students with projects in the fields of science, photography and music, throughout the course of one year.

Darüşşafaka Society Today

According to Darüşşafaka’s website, the current student cohort amounts to a little less than 1,000 students, many of whom were previously learning in disadvantaged classrooms with up to 60 other students. The success of Darüşşafaka’s students is in part due to the improved learning environments that it provides. For instance, as a result of its rigorous focus on science, Darüşşafaka’s robotics team has become a significant contender in the FIRST Robotics Competition, an annual international STEM and robotics championship held in the U.S.

Comprised entirely of orphaned and disadvantaged students, the team has won championship-division awards since its start in 2009 and was most recently presented with awards in both the Long Island and Houston championships in 2019.

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

According to the Global Partnership for Education, an equal chance at education for students of all backgrounds could reduce international economic disparities by 39%. With the continued efforts of organizations like Darüşşafaka Society, youth in need, disadvantaged and orphaned students will continue to be provided with opportunities to rise out of poverty through education.

– Madeleine Youngblood
Photo: Flickr

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5 Ways COVID-19 is Affecting Education Inequality in Japan

Education Inequality in Japan
The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on the lives of students all over the globe, and the disruption of daily routines and local economies is aggravating the global education crisis that already threatens many countries. COVID-19 is impacting education inequality in Japan in unprecedented ways.

5 Effects of COVID-19 on Education Inequality in Japan

  1. Disadvantaged Students: When schools locked down in Japan during the pandemic, disadvantaged students struggled to acquire food and the various social services that their schools normally provided. Schools assist young children with everything from nutrition and health to socialization and stimulation. While COVID-19 has placed a burden on all students, it has disproportionately affected those who rely on schools for meals and in-person learning. To help support Japanese students’ learning at home, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, also known as MEXT, has set up a learning support portal, which offers various tips for learning each subject at home, new learning materials and videos, all for free.
  2. Higher Education: Due to the exorbitant costs of higher education in Japan, less than one-fifth of low-income students can afford university studies, and this situation has only worsened with COVID-19. Therefore, MEXT is providing university students with emergency economic support during the pandemic. The program provides Japanese students with cash handouts worth 200,000 yen, so that those who are facing difficulties, like reductions in their household incomes or part-time work opportunities, can still continue their schooling. The program covers anyone attending a university or other educational institution in Japan.
  3. Online Learning Challenges: One in 20 Japanese children lack the amenities necessary for sufficient online learning, such as a quiet workspace, computer access or new textbooks. Japan is significantly behind other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in its ability to incorporate information communication technology into school curriculums. Despite being such a technologically advanced country, only 40% of 15-year-old Japanese students are enrolled in schools where their principals report sufficient availability of adequate computer software.
  4. The Digital Divide: A MEXT survey from April 2020 showcased how difficult it has been for Japanese public schools to adapt to the new normal. The digital divide between Japan’s urban and rural areas and across socioeconomic lines has complicated this transition to online learning. One step that has emerged to address these challenges involves a partnership with Japan’s top three mobile phone companies which have eliminated some additional charges for their users aged 25 and under.
  5. Child Poverty and Education: Prior to the pandemic, Japan already had issues with child poverty and education inequality. The Nippon Foundation estimated the economic impact of leaving this poverty unaddressed, even before the pandemic exacerbated the issue. Its survey began with the assumption that economic gaps cause children to have disparities in education, resulting in vast differences in future income. Two scenarios compared what would happen if Japan left the situation unaddressed as opposed to what would happen after implementing new measures to reduce disparities in education. If Japan were to take measures to correct the situation, the number of college graduates would increase, resulting in more people growing their lifetime earnings. However, if it does not address economic gaps among children, the situation will not change. Taking measures towards addressing economic gaps and education among Japanese children would also cause Japanese citizens to eventually pay more taxes and social security premiums, which would reduce the government’s fiscal burden after the pandemic.

Looking Ahead

It is possible for Japan to take a leadership role in coordinating strategies to reduce educational inequality. With proper assistance and studies from organizations like The Nippon Foundation, Japan’s mission toward education equality may end up back on track.

– Elisabeth Petry
Photo: Flickr