[Sangetsu]

You can't take that chart at face value. It's obvious that Americans work more than many other countries, keeping up with the Joneses isn't always easy.

Japan and America enforce labor laws much differently. The laws are actually more severe in Japan, but rarely enforced. Labor laws in America are enforced vigorously. I would guess (from my own experience) that the figure for working hours in Japan is probably off by 20%. My girlfriend works in an office in Tokyo, and she's getting almost as many hours listed in the chart in overtime. She still has her regular hours to factor in on top of that.