A 42-year-old supermarket employee who died of a stroke in 2014 has been recognized by labor authorities as a victim of karoshi, or death from overwork, although his average monthly overtime hours clocked in at less than the 80-hour official threshold, a level said to cause serious health consequences.

The man who worked at the Inageya supermarket chain in Shiki, Saitama Prefecture, died from cerebral infarction. His death was recognized last June by the Saitama labor standard office as karoshi, his family said Monday.

His family had argued the man had been working overtime without pay before and after he punched his time card. The labor office reviewed his entrance and exit records and partially accepted the family's claim.