In one of his last diary entries, Japanese teacher Yoshio Kudo lamented workdays that started early and could last until nearly midnight. Two months later, he suffered "karoshi" -- death from overwork.
"From when he moved to the new school in April until he died... he kept saying he was exhausted," says his wife Sachiko. Kudo's taxing schedule is far from an exception in Japan, where teachers work some of the longest hours in the world, saddled with tasks from cleaning and supervising school commutes to after-school clubs.
