The media has been conscientious in its coverage of the need for foreign workers in Japan. A May 20 NHK Special was particularly thorough in its portrayal of Mimasaka, Okayama Prefecture, which is encouraging Vietnamese laborers to move to the city. Several news outlets have covered Mimasaka's statue of former Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh, which was presented to the city by Hanoi last November at the request of Mimasaka's mayor.
The special also looked at older workers. According to NHK, 12.4 percent of the workforce is over 65 at present, and many of these people are doing manual work, often for the first time in their lives. In Mimasaka, 40 percent of all workers are over 65.
It's obvious that more older people are either forgoing retirement or reentering the workforce afterward. In many cases, these elderly workers need the money because basic national pensions are not enough to get by on, but a popular media narrative is that these people are going back to work because they are bored with retired life or think that society needs them.