[Exclusive] Staff Member Dies Suddenly Amid Suspected “Karoshi” from All-Night Editing
The sudden death of a 59-year-old veteran staff member
Fuji TV, still showing no signs of resolving the sexual misconduct issue involving former talent Masahiro Nakai (53).
Veteran staff member, a man referred to as Mr. A, suddenly passed away while on a trip in early September. Some inside the network are whispering that the cause might have been “karoshi” (death from overwork).
“Mr. A had been working as an external director involved in Fuji TV’s information and news programs since 2011. Recently, he had been a veteran staff member on the evening news program ‘Live News it!’ (hereinafter ‘It!’), responsible for coverage and VTR production. The news of his death came on September 2.
An email was sent out in the name of the News Center Director of the News Bureau to all people related to ‘It!’. According to it, Mr. A suddenly passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage while on summer vacation in Hokkaido,” said a Fuji TV official.
Mr. A was known within the company as an outdoorsy person who enjoyed traveling, biking, and fishing, and was said to be confident in his physical strength. He was very gentle in personality and highly trusted by others. He was single and died at the age of 59. The email also said, “He was someone who kindly spoke to colleagues and supported his peers,” and the sudden news of his death reportedly caused considerable shock within the ‘It!’ team.
After the live broadcast of ‘It!’ ended at around 7 p.m. that day, a moment of silence was held for Mr. A on the news floor, with over 100 employees and staff gathering. The News Bureau Chief, the News Center Director, and all the production employees and staff of ‘It!’ attended, and the atmosphere was said to be quite serious. And among several of those present, the words “overwork” and “karoshi” were whispered.
“Some of the staff who gathered voiced concerns that ‘perhaps overwork was the cause.’ This is because Mr. A often worked all night on VTR production,” said the aforementioned official.
“The brain hemorrhage was probably caused by overwork.”
Regarding the doubts being raised internally about whether it was “karoshi,” how does view the situation? When we inquired with Fuji TV’s public relations department, we received the following response:
“We would like to express our deepest condolences on the passing of the production staff member.
However, as any further details would pertain to the individual’s privacy, we will refrain from commenting further.”
Regarding the death of Mr. A, one Fuji TV employee said:
“I had absolutely no idea something like that had happened. The information is probably only being shared within the News Bureau, but considering that the News Bureau Chief and the News Center Director took part in the moment of silence—and that the cause is suspected to possibly be ‘overwork’—I honestly can’t help but feel this company is as lacking in transparency as ever.”
The employee could not hide their disappointment. Incidentally, the chief producer of , who is the top of the program, reportedly did not attend the moment of silence for Mr. A. According to the message from the News Bureau Chief, the bereaved family’s wishes and the method of offering condolences would be communicated at a later date. For now, we will have to wait and see how the situation unfolds.
