Retirees' Views on Work

Changes in Post-Retirement Lifestyles and Active Aging

Abstract

Japan's population is aging at an alarming rate, which is having a tremendous impact on the current employment system. This paper defines the post-retirement life stage as the second career-development period, ranging from the middle-aged years to the senior years. During this latter half of their lives, people are actively committed to developing their careers. This paper analyzes the varied views of the senior-age group in regard to their lifestyles and career development. The analysis has identified three conclusions. Firstly, in spite of the economic slowdown in the 1990s, those in the middle-to senior-age group regard their post-retirement lifestyles favorably, thus advancing a new post-retirement culture. Secondly, their post-retirement careers are varied, ranging from participation in volunteer activities to the establishment of new businesses. Thirdly, those who intend to become involved in volunteer activities or to establish new businesses after retirement, instead of continuing to work for the company they are currently working for, start to search out new contacts with people outside the company ahead of their retirement date. In other words, some of those in the group stop being company-first employees before they retire. Based on these findings, this paper examines the varied post-retirement career development and active aging of the middle-to senior-age group.