TOKUSHIMA (TR) – A 19-year-old employee of a regional power company who plummeted to his death from a transmission tower earlier this month left behind a suicide note detailing severe workplace bullying, it has been learned, reports Kyodo News (Sep. 15).
Kazuki Matsuoka fell approximately 40 meters from a tower in the town of Kamikatsu on the morning of September 9. At the time, he was inspecting the structure for lightning damage. Investigators noted that a portion of his safety harness was detached from his body when he fell.
While the incident initially appeared to be a workplace accident, a suicide note discovered among Matsuoka’s personal belongings points to relentless abuse by a superior. The note was handed over to his grieving family on September 10.
“Go die”
According to his family, Matsuoka named a specific senior colleague in the note, describing a toxic environment at Shikoku Electric Power Transmission & Distribution.
“I was told things like, ‘You can’t do the job,’ ‘You’re stupid,’ and ‘Go die,'” the teen wrote.
The note also detailed an incident of physical torment at a company drinking party, where Matsuoka was pressured into eating food to which he was severely allergic.
“Even though I have an allergy, I was almost forced to eat it. My tongue was itchy, I felt like throwing up, and I felt like I was going to die both physically and mentally,” the note read.
Joined in April
Matsuoka was a fresh recruit who joined the company in April. He had only been assigned to fieldwork in August after completing his initial training.
On September 12, the bereaved family met with company executives to hand over a copy of the suicide note. They have demanded a thorough investigation into the allegations of “power harassment” (workplace bullying) and the exact cause of the fatal fall.
The company’s Tokushima branch has confirmed it is currently investigating the facts surrounding the harassment claims.
