Mother of woman who committed suicide implores workers to speak out

The Yomiuri Shimbun

7:00 JST, December 26, 2022

The mother of a woman who committed suicide due to overwork in 2015 implored workers not to hold back until the last minute in a note she released on the anniversary of her daughter’s death.

Sunday marked the seventh anniversary of Matsuri Takahashi’s death. She was a 24-year-old first-year employee at advertising giant Dentsu Inc. in Tokyo.

Matsuri’s mother, Yukimi Takahashi, 59, referred in her note to improvements made in the work environment following her daughter’s death.

“If only such efforts had been made when Matsuri was alive, she could have still been here today, leading her own life,” Takahashi said in the note. “Thinking that, I find it bitterly and deeply regrettable.”

Takahashi recalled the time she spent with her daughter in mid-December 2015. She said Matsuri hugged her many times, saying, “I love you, mom.” They were at an observatory in central Tokyo, looking at the nighttime view of all the lights twinkling from the densely packed buildings. “You know, this night view of Tokyo is a result of our overtime work,” Matsuri said.

“I never imagined that 10 days later, on Christmas night, I would have to go to see Matsuri, who was as cold as ice,” Takahashi wrote. “For those who are working, don’t hold back until the very last minute. Send out an SOS. If a loved one is suffering, please remember Matsuri Takahashi and do all you can to protect them.”

Takahashi is undergoing cancer treatment and underwent surgery in September.

She concluded her note by saying: “I will get well and continue to do my best together with Matsuri in efforts to realize a country where everyone can work free from anxiety and young people can live their lives with hope.”