Efforts to improve mental health and well-being are a focal point in Japan, with companies finding innovative ways to combat “karoshi,” or “death by overwork.” According to the World Economic Forum, “a recent government survey found that around one in 10 Japanese workers put in more than 80 hours of overtime per month, with one in five at risk of karoshi – whether through stroke, heart attack or stress-induced suicide.”

Some Japanese companies are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce the risk of karoshi and improve mental health and wellbeing. “Advances in AI are creating new opportunities to track and manage mental health in ways that were previously impossible. These tools can help enforce caps on overtime and even detect when workers are concealing their true hours – either voluntarily or under pressure from employers.”

A recent collaboration between Japanese company Kintsugi and NTT Advanced Technology (NTT-AT) used AI to gain insight into employee mental health. By having Kintsugi employees participate in monthly health screenings using AI, it sought to “objectively identify signs of extreme stress by analyzing an individual’s voice patterns.”

“The results were promising: 78% of participants agreed with their Kintsugi mental wellness score. Armed with this objective data, NTT was able to offer targeted support programs to each employee, such as sleep therapy programs or access to mental health professionals.”

As mental health in the workplace becomes a more prominent topic, Japan’s efforts to combat the crisis through innovative technologies could “serve as a blueprint for creating healthier workplaces globally.”