They are everywhere in Japan. Security guards, janitors in parks, employees in the kitchen or behind the counter of a convenience store, graying seniors, often with bent backs, still work hard to earn a living.
Slightly more than half of people aged 65 to 69 are still employed and a third of those aged 70 to 74.
With such a large elderly population, the Japanese pension system is on a tightrope. And for workers who haven’t had a stable job for 40 years in a company, the government pension, around $10,000 a year, is simply not enough.
- Listen to Richard Martineau’s interview with Hugo Duchaine, journalist on QUB-radio :
To read the rest of the text, see our special file by clicking here.
