Let me apologize up front for tackling an issue that is not purely about labor per se.
The brutal mass murder in July in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, made me feel that our society must address a simple yet difficult question: What does work mean to human beings? I feel that I must candidly convey to you, dear readers, what this tragedy says to me, and then ask you for your opinions.
Late on the night of July 26, a knife-wielding 26-year-old man entered Tsukui Yamayuri En, a home for people with intellectual disabilities. His purpose was to kill all the disabled residents. Since he was a former employee, he knew the layout of the facility, the small number of night-shift workers and other internal details that helped him operate with horrific efficiency.