Commentary / Japan Oct 7, 2019
Excessive concern over public pension
by Masaharu Takenaka
Reform of the Japanese public pension system in accordance with the nation's aging population is becoming increasingly unavoidable.
Business / Corporate Oct 3, 2019
Toshiba Corp. said Thursday that one of its subsidiaries saw 414 employees apply for an early retirement plan, surpassing the 350 the company had estimated. Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corp. received applications for the program from workers aged 45 or older between July and ...
National Sep 25, 2019
FSA will no longer make reference to controversial post-retirement savings estimate
The Financial Services Agency decided Wednesday it will no longer make reference to a controversial estimate that a retired couple that lives to be 95 years old would need at least ¥20 million in addition to their benefits under the national public pension system. But ...
Business / Economy Sep 25, 2019
Fear of retirement poverty drives Japanese to private pensions
by Keiko Ujikane and Shingo Kawamoto
Japanese households are rushing to private retirement products after a government report fueled fears that the national pension system won't be enough to support them during old age. SBI Securities Co. and Monex Group Inc. have seen applications for defined contribution pension plans surge since ...
National Sep 15, 2019
Elderly citizens accounted for record 28.4% of Japan's population in 2018, data show
Seniors accounted for 28.4 percent of Japan’s population and 12.9 percent of its labor force in 2018, both record highs, government data shows.
Business Sep 5, 2019
Non-workers aged 50-plus could make up 59% of Japan's population by 2050, OECD warns
People aged 50 or older and out of the workforce in Japan could increase by 29 percent from 2018, to 59 per 100 people, by 2050, straining public retirement schemes, the OECD said in a recent report that suggested reforms are needed. The Organisation for ...
Editorials Aug 31, 2019
Discussions should proceed on what practical steps can be taken to stabilize the system as much as possible.
Business Aug 28, 2019
Japan eyes overhaul of pensions after payouts predicted to be worth 20% less within 30 years
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday that the government will consider overhauling the public pension system to make sure it is sustainable in the long term, a day after the government projections showed that pension payouts would fall by nearly a fifth in ...
Asia Pacific Jul 26, 2019
Singapore promotes gardening for elderly in bid to fight loneliness
by Beh Lih Yi
Since her mother died last year, 74-year-old Lim Yeo Hong has been living alone in a flat on the outskirts of Singapore, scavenging for cardboard scraps which she sells for a living. The only time she meets anyone is once a month when she collects ...
Commentary / Japan Jul 25, 2019
The real policy challenges facing Japan
by Haruaki Deguchi
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe must place priority on resolving several major policy challenges confronting Japan before he tries to revise the Constitution.
National / History | JAPAN TIMES GONE BY Jul 6, 2019
by Elliott Samuels
The Railway Board has adopted a plan suggested by Mrs. Takahashi, Tokyo Station master, to connect special cars to the Shimonoseki express train that leaves Tokyo at 4 p.m. daily, exclusively for the use of female students who are going home for the summer ...
Business Jul 2, 2019
To keep boredom at bay, more Japanese retirees are starting up their own business
An increasing number of newly retired people are starting up businesses, using their wealth of experience and knowledge while taking advantage of government loan programs. A cafe run by Yoshiaki Sato, 65, in a housing complex in the Wakaba area in Tachikawa in west Tokyo ...