Fatigue causing increase in ‘workplace accidents due to falls’ incidents in Japan

By Barrier Free Japan

October 17 2025

TOKYO – The Toyo Keizai reported on Friday 17th October that fatigue is a “reason behind the increasing number of “workplace accidents due to falls” ”  in an interview with Hideki Katano, the author of the book “Rest Science” and the representative director of the ‘Japan Recovery Association’. In his latest book “Fatigue Science”, Katano discusses the current widespread fatigue and its dangers.

According to a survey by the Japan Recovery Association (一般社団法人日本リカバリー協会), economic losses caused by fatigue amount to 15 trillion yen annually. Moreover, about 80% of Japanese people live with fatigue.

According two Katano, Fatigue doesn’t just result in economic losses; it can also lead to serious accidents. In his latest book “Fatigue Science”, Katano discusses the current widespread fatigue and its dangers. Below is an excerpt and edited section from his book.

The number of fatigued individuals increases by 300,000 each year.

ince 2017, the Japan Recovery Association (日本リカバリー協会) has been conducting fatigue surveys with 100,000 workers. According to these surveys, since 2020, around 80% of people have consistently reported feeling “tired.”

In the latest 2025 survey, the figure rose to 82.0%, setting a new record. When this percentage is calculated based on the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ population estimate (for those aged 20–79), it amounts to 71.72 million people, which is 300,000 more than the 71.43 million recorded in 2024.

The 80% figure is already surprising, but you might be even more shocked to hear that this number has increased by 20% in such a short period. In a 1999 survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (formerly the Ministry of Health), which targeted workers up to their 60s, about 60% reported feeling tired, meaning the percentage has increased by 20% in just over 20 years.

Moreover, in the Japan Recovery Association’s 2025 survey, the percentage of people who report being “frequently tired” increased from 44.2% to 46.3% compared to the previous year. This indicates that the proportion of people who are extremely tired has been rising.