National Personnel Authority

1. Purposes

Starting in 2013, both government and private sector employees are expected to see a lapse in annuity payments after retirement at age 60. For those retiring at age 60 starting in 2021, public pensions will not be paid as a rule for 5 years.

In the private sector, the compulsory retirement system has either been abandoned or raised to age 65 or older or a reemployment system has been introduced under law. In addition, various programs have been instituted to meet needs for re-employment and to support decline in earnings in old age.

In the government sector, it has become urgently necessary to ensure coordination between employment and the pension scheme and to build an environment in which the employees are able to concentrate on their jobs without fear of insecurity after retirement.

For this reason, the NPA Remuneration Recommendation in August had urged the need to conduct a comprehensive study into employment measures for elderly employees in public service, based on the assumption that such employees will be able to continue working until their pension payments start as in the private sector.

In light of these circumstances, the study group described above will convene to examine a broad range of issues pertaining to assurance of employment for public service employees in old age.

2. Participants

Persons with academic expertise in the aforementioned issues are appointed by the Director General of the Employee Welfare Bureau, National Personnel Authority. (All participants excluding the Chair and Deputy Chair listed in Japanese kana order)

Chair:

Atsushi Seike, President, Keio University

Deputy chair:

Masahiko Iwamura, Professor of the Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo

Nobuo Asaumi, Deputy Chairman,Editorial Board, Yomiuri Shimbun (since 6th meeting)

Hiroaki Inatsugu, Professor,Okuma School of Public Management, Waseda University

Takeshi Uemura, Deputy Chairman, Editorial Board, Yomiuri Shimbun (until 5th meeting)

Masako Kurosawa, Professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies

Koichi Sugiyama, Executive Advisor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Hiroyuki Fujimura, Professor, Business School of Innovation Management Hosei University Graduate School

Nobukuni Murase, Counselor, Zennorin (Employee Organization)

3. Major Agenda

Based on the conditions at private enterprises, the study group will conduct comprehensive review of the following, for the purpose of improving the employment situation for elderly employees in public service while paying attention to conditions in other countries.

1. Policy on employment and pension coordination

2. The relationship between the number of employees, new hirings, etc., accompanying the increase in elderly employees

3. Initiatives for a transition into a remuneration system similar to those at private enterprises

4. How to appoint managerial employees vis-a-vis vitalization of organization

5. Investigation into job functions suited to elderly employees

6. Variety of workstyles in light of the increase in elderly employees

7. Reemployment needs in old age and support measures for earnings decline in old age

4. Schedule

First meeting of the study group on September 7, 2007. Subsequent meetings held monthly as a rule, with a final report to be submitted in July 2009.