In this day and age, we are always inspired by the proverb "live to be old, learn to be old", but nowadays, it seems to be given more of a meaning of "live to be old, work to be old". In Japan, where the world's aging population is at its most turbulent, it is no longer uncommon for people in their seventies to still struggle in the workplace. According to the latest survey data, nearly 40 percent of Japanese people put working until the age of 70 on their wish list.
Admittedly, such a vision seems too distant and cruel for many migrant workers who are still struggling under the 996 work system. However, when we talk about delaying retirement, we tend to overlook a more serious question: when we start worrying about losing our jobs at the age of 35, how can we be confident that we can still find a job at the age of 70 if we want to?
Perhaps, young people were the first to express their dissatisfaction with this. The sharp remarks of Yusuke Narita, a Japanese scholar at Yale University, have resonated widely among young Japanese. They believe that it is the older people who are delaying retirement who occupy the jobs that belong to them, depriving them of their future and happiness. In a country with an ageing rate of 29 per cent, there is a growing intergenerational tension between the elderly and the young.
In every company, there always seems to be an "old man" entrenched on the road to promotion. They have a good salary and seem to have nothing to do, but they always like to point fingers at young people. Although many of them do not have special talents or brilliant achievements, and have only risen to high positions step by step by virtue of the seniority system, they have already mastered a set of voices that will leave young people speechless.
Let's take the topic of "couples with different surnames", which is the most concerned topic for young people nowadays, as an example. In an online television show, several young people tried to discuss the need for the system with a former parliamentarian, but the eighty-year-old gentleman quickly took the topic away with a skillful set of "hair extensions" techniques. The appeals of the young always seem to pale in the face of the wisdom of the old.
According to a survey conducted by the General Institute of Knowledge, nearly 60 percent of workers feel that their work morale is low because of the presence of such colleagues. In Japan, "old men who don't work" are even labeled as "old evils" and are hated by young people like pests. Once, retirement at 60 was the end of the "old age", but as the retirement age continues to be delayed, this natural metabolism seems to be postponed indefinitely.
In 2013, the retirement age in Japan was raised to 65 in principle, and companies need to provide employees with the opportunity to work until the age of 65. And in 2021, the retirement age was pushed back by five years again, reaching 70 years old. This means that the "old man who doesn't work" will occupy the top niche of the annual merit system for an additional decade. This is undoubtedly a heavy blow for young people who are eager to move.
Recently, however, this disgust seems to be spreading to more ordinary seniors, and even having a job after retirement has become a sin. "The elderly already have a retirement pension to receive, so why should they come and compete with young people for jobs? Young people don't have jobs, who will provide for them? "The complaints of young people are coming and going.
But the reality is that, despite the dissatisfaction of young people, more and more older people are returning to work after retirement. In Japan, silver-haired workers are almost everywhere, whether in taxis, restaurants, or fields. According to statistics, there will be 9.12 million elderly workers in Japan in 2023, and the number of elderly workers has increased for 19 consecutive years. Today, 13 out of every 100 Japanese workers are elderly.
In the imagination of young people, the old people seem to have taken advantage of the dividends of the times. Born after the war, they amassed wealth during the boom and survived on a pension in the midst of decline. However, it's not that simple. While it is true that some seniors enjoy a leisurely retirement, many more have to continue working to make ends meet. "After I retired, I worked six or seven jobs. Mr. Tokunaga from Kagoshima is 72 years old this year, but he is still in good spirits. His experience is not unique, but a true portrayal of many elderly Japanese people.