Funny that this comes from the country that the TPS orginated in. Maybe this was Ohno's inspiration for the seven wastes.

the cause? perhaps death by overwork.

Strange. I wonder what the true date of this video is. While this was a common sight in Tokyo in the 1970s, not so much now. I have experienced Tokyo subway rush hours a number of times and never seen this. This story has almost become a stereotype of Japan. Japanese social scientists are actually worried about the declining population of the country.

I travel to Japan every year and this is a rarity now, even in the huge sprawling Tokyo metropolis. It did however use to be the norm.

It's still common in China I believe. John Chow only last week put a podcast on his blog showing the Shanghai metro. Over there they still employ the "professional people pushers." Boy do those trains get full - and it wasn't even rush hour.

I saw a commercial for AC 360 and he said, "You can't sit behind a desk and think you know what's happening out there. You have to get out and see it."

Amen.

The rush hour trains in Japan are still this crowded. The overall population of Japan may be declining, but people are moving from rural areas to the cities, including Tokyo.
The trains are quite a pleasant ride during most of the day, just not during morning rush hour.

Jon:

In the case above: What is value perceived by the end user ? Is it a cheap, uncomfortable ride to the destination ? Maybe so!
If not, then the capacity will be required to increase (more cars per train ?). This will increase the price of the ticket.
We make similar adjustments in everyday at all levels; recently I have started car pooling (big adjustment, no more satellite radio : The "pushers" from a different perspective are perhaps value adding resources ?? I wouldn't automate that process :>).
Great video.
Regards,
Venkatesh "Vic" Srambikal

Most of the time the trains in Japan are fast, spacious and comfortable, more than value for the money. However during rush times they are a different story. This is more an issue of being unable to flex (muri) capacity to variable demand (mura) due to a concentration of jobs in the center and homes in the outskirts.