RE: The Dark Side of Japanese Work Culture

There's a lot of that in the US, too, and it is more noticeable the higher up the ladder one is. The average workers leave at the official "quitting time" or shortly thereafter. But, their bosses stay longer. And the managers of those bosses stay even longer. It is seen as dedication to the job as well as "company loyalty." But those who stay late here aren't "pretending" to work, but actually crunching numbers, printing reports for the coming morning's staff meeting, putting the finishing touches on a presentation for a big client, etc. I know that by virtue of being in middle-management positions in the past, often putting in 10-, 12-, 14-hour days during that time.