In a statement, NHK executives revealed they kept track of her working hours through personal statements and time cards but acknowledged there were areas requiring improvement.

Masahiko Yamauchi, senior official at NHK’s news department, said the incident was not a personal matter but a “problem for our organization as a whole, including the labor system and how elections are covered.”

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration has sought to make improvements to working conditions in the country following the suicide of a new employee at advertising giant Dentsu Inc. in 2015, which some believe was due to excessive working hours.

Yamauchi said NHK waited four years to share the details of Sado’s death due to her family’s wishes. Her family said, in a written statement, they wanted to ensure such an incident never happens again.

“Even today, four years after, we cannot accept our daughter’s death as a reality,” Sado’s parents said in a comment released by NHK. “We hope that the sorrow of the bereaved family will never be wasted.”