With the public pension system slated for revision next year, the Social Insurance Agency is desperate to restore people's trust in it.
That is because the system faces being hollowed out due to a sharp rise in the number of pension scheme members paying no premiums.
In February, Shuzo Tsutsumi, director general of the agency, began visiting social insurance offices nationwide to encourage them to redouble their efforts to collect national pension premiums. His actions were highly unusual.