Advertising giant Dentsu Inc. might erase references to its 10 corporate principles, one of which encourages employees to stick to a goal "even if you are killed," from the next edition of its corporate pocketbook distributed to new employees.
The proposed measure comes amid a public outcry over what is seen as Dentsu's strict corporate culture, which is alleged to have led to the suicide last year of a 24-year-old employee. The Christmas Day death of Matsuri Takahashi in 2015 was recently declared a case of karoshi, or death by overwork.
The 10 rules were written by former Dentsu President Hideo Yoshida and were viewed by employees as the pinnacle of commitment, a Dentsu official said.