Article citing the work of Prof. Oshio published in the Nikkei

On December 7, 2017 the renowned Japanese economic daily "Nikkei" carried a piece which cited the work of Prof. Takashi Oshio, research collaborator in our program.

The article entitled "Cutting People Off due to Their Age is Outdated" points to the disparity between recent gains in longevity and the mandatory retirement age in Japan, which largely hovers around 60, though some companies have recently started following the government's advice to prolong retirement until age 65. The article, which is one in a series of pieces predicting socio-economic changes that Japan is likely to undergo by year 2030, speaks of the mandatory retirement system as of a relict from the post-war times, and expresses opinion that by 2030 the pension eligibilty age in Japan will for sure be raised to age 65 by law. Not only that, the author further makes the case that healthy people age 65 to 74 should be allowed to work longer if they wish so, and in arguing for the removal of a uniform mandatory retirement age, cites an analysis of Prof. Oshio who examined the relationship between longevity and employment.

According to Prof. Oshio, while in 1975 as many as 91 percent of Japanese people of age 57, which at that time was 20 years below the average life expectancy, worked, in 2015 only 62 percent of 65 year olds, i.e. people who were slightly less than 20 years away from reaching the average life span, were employed. Prof. Oshio is quoted as saying that "a lot of people who wish to work cannot do so", and that a situation in which people who can provide financial support and care for others are pushed into retirement only to be treated as those who need support is unsustainable.