Several high profile cases of death from overwork have resulted in the government discussing a bill to legally ban excessive overtime. On 28 January, it was reported that the bill the government was preparing would allow overtime of up to 100 hours per month during so called “busy periods”, with an annual average of up to 60 hours per month to be allowed. Critics point to the fact that the so called “karoshi line”, above which deaths or illnesses are presumed to be work related, is 80 hours per month, and are raising questions as to why any law would provide for overtime beyond that limit.