When Shigeo Hirano set up Mystar60 Corp., a staffing agency specializing in finding jobs for people age 60 and over, he was a man on a mission.

In 1990, it was the only firm specializing in finding jobs for so-called silver workers, although many recruitment firms, including major industry player Pasona Inc., have since jumped on the bandwagon.

For his part, Hirano, who was 47 at the time, wanted to change the image of older workers. Instead of being viewed as worn out and feeble, he wanted to present them as energetic and experienced workers.

Citing the shrinking working population, Hirano said, "It is the best option to employ those 60 and over even beyond retirement because they want to work."

He also hopes they pass their skills on to following generations.

The firm currently sends more than 600 full-time workers to companies. Hirano, now chairman of the company, said the aim is to place 1,000 employees within two or three years.

"Our company's role is not to make profit but to create jobs," Hirano said in an interview at a company office in Chiba Prefecture. Even so, his company has been in the black since 1993. Sales have increased about 10 percent every year over the past five years thanks to a constant increase in workers.

"Our company cannot keep up with the strong demand from companies," Hirano said, adding that many retirees tend to look for jobs after a one-year break.

The biggest challenge, he recalled, was changing people's preconceived notions about the elderly.

"I had a hard time getting my message across," he said. "I used every occasion, such as small meetings, parties and drinking after work, to constantly share my passion with others."

Back in 1989, Hirano, who happened to be listening to a radio talk show discussing Respect for the Aged Day, heard a "senryu," or short, witty Japanese poem, that stuck in his head: "Salaried employees, when they leave, they are nothing."

"I was shocked. Life is over then? It was true in a sense that many skilled workers left their companies at retirement age and didn't know what to do with their experience and knowledge, although they wanted to work even beyond retirement. So I wanted to change the social concept and create employment," the soft-spoken Hirano said, speaking slowly to hammer home his point.

The day after he heard the senryu, he shared his vision with others at Mystar Engineering Corp., where he was president at the time.

Mystar Engineering, a facilities maintenance and engineering operations firm, is the parent company of Mystar60.

However, his employees, whose average age was 28, responded with puzzled looks. "What could older people do?" they wondered.

Hirano responded: "You should not think of people aged 60 and over as a single category, but think of them as individuals."

He gave an example: "Look. Mr. Kimura can tell what's wrong just by listening to the sound of a machine. Such skills are matchless. Experienced engineers can tell the condition of machines and equipment by the sound, smell and light," he said.

He was right. When the company put ads in major newspapers about one month before establishing the company, it received a flood of phone calls from seniors wanting to register and find jobs. The constant phone calls continued for a week or so, he said.

Mystar60 also has a staffing service mainly for women between the ages of 40 and 65. Many are supporting their husbands, who had devoted themselves to their workplace, helping to turn Japan into the world's second-biggest economy.

"Middle-aged women's experience and power are indispensable," said Tetsuo Muramori, who is in charge of this business, adding that housewives excel at time management and cutting costs.

"They may not have the practical skills that men do, but they have the power to energize teams who are depressed," he said.

At Mystar60, jobs are not limited to manufacturing. Financial institutions, for example, have hired "silver workers" in response to the increasing number of retail investors. "We have sent about 10 seniors to major securities firms' call centers as stock investment advisers. Some have decades of knowledge and experience in the financial sector," Hirano said.

Many companies look to employ more skilled elderly workers to keep skill levels and experience high in the manufacturing industry, especially amid competition from China, South Korea and other Asian emerging markets.

Hirano said Japan "needs to pass on its craftsmanship to younger generations" to keep its spirit alive and to preserve national pride. He said work is something for people 60 and over to live for.

"They are not working for money but more for pride. Working means a lot to them," he said. "It keeps them going. They are still energetic. Age is just a number."

In this occasional series, we interview entrepreneurs whose spirit may hold the key to a more competitive Japan.