NEWSWORTHY
Protesters chant anti-Putin slogans at Moscow rally against plan to up retirement age
Thousands protested in central Moscow on Sunday over a proposed increase to the retirement age and the crowd chanted slogans critical of President Vladimir Putin whose approval ratings have been dented by the bill. The rally organized by the opposition Libertarian Party chanted "Putin is ...
My company didn't enroll me in the Japanese social insurance program. What to do?
A non-Japanese worker wrote to Lifelines with some questions about the shakai hoken social insurance system.
Advice on HIV tests, Japanese pensions, rugby and reuniting with kids
Lifelines works through a selection of topics that have come our way recently.
'Madder than hornets': Kentucky and Oklahoma teachers rally as red state rebellion grows
The state Capitol in Kentucky filled with teachers protesting pension changes Monday, and thousands of Oklahoma educators walked out of classrooms in the latest evidence of teacher rebellion in some Republican-led states over education cuts. Many Oklahoma schools, including the three largest districts of Oklahoma ...
Strikes halt trains, ground flights, spark clashes across France in challenge to Macron reforms
Tens of thousands of nurses, teachers and other public-sector workers joined forces to march against French President Emmanuel Macron's reforms on Thursday, causing widespread travel disruptions and bringing brief clashes with police in some cities. While the vast majority of around 180 demonstrations nationwide were ...
Thousands of French pensioners rally to tell Macron to stop squeezing their finances
Thousands of French pensioners marched through Paris and other cities in protest over higher social security taxes on Thursday, in a warning to President Emmanuel Macron whose popularity is falling in a key voter constituency. The ebbing support for Macron among retired workers was a ...
Tax filing mistakes lowered pension benefits for over a million people in February: health ministry
About 1.3 million people in Japan ended up receiving lower amounts of public pension benefits than they entitled to in February because of mistakes made when they filed for income tax breaks, health ministry officials said. The mistakes were caused partly by substantial changes in ...
Teething troubles in tapping into Japan pensions from abroad
While the easing of eligibility rules is welcome news, reading about it is one thing and actually tapping into the system is another.
In 2017, Japan woke up to the issue of discrimination
The year saw a landmark human rights survey and action on hate speech and pensions — but conditions remain dire for foreign 'trainees' and other workers alike.
LDP and Komeito draft reforms set to raise taxes for 5% of Japan's salaried workers
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's tax panel broadly approved on Thursday a draft tax reform plan under which about 5 percent of all salaried employees in Japan would face higher income taxes. The LDP and its Komeito ally are slated to adopt their fiscal 2018 ...
Finally, non-Japanese residents can draw pensions after 10 years of paying in
Foreign residents can now receive a Japanese old-age pension if they have paid in for a total of at least 10 years, rather than 25 years, as was the case.
