Aging in Japan has an international face. As the
Japanese population as a whole grows older, so have the country's
permanent non-Japanese residents. In addition, as the number of
marriages between Japanese and non-Japanese continues to increase,
more non-Japanese spouses are finding themselves caring for aging
relatives. Finally, non-permanent residents on one of the several
categories of work-related visas face the concerns of retirement
and pension payments. These are the nearly hidden faces of aging
in Japan.
Of the faces of aging in Japan, the first is, in many ways, the
one that is currently attracting the most concern. The aging of
non-Japanese residents is making demands on society. Fortunately,
Japanese society is responding.
Not surprisingly, given that the largest group of permanent residents
is Korean, most non-Japanese elderly are Korean. More than two million
Koreans were brought to Japan before and during the World War II.
Those who remained after the war ended are now elderly.
Caring for this elderly population is done primarily within the
family, just as it is for most families in Japan. Both cultures
share a concern for family that remains strong. However, not everyone
has a family to care for them, and some families lack the resources
to do so. In response, "Special Facilities for the Elderly"
have opened across Japan.
Kokyou no Ie (Home-land Homes) is one such facility that works to
ease the final years of the aging Korean population. The first Kokyou
no Ie opened in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, in 1989.
One of the first thing anyone notices when they visit Kokyou no
Ie is that it replicates a Korean environment in Japan. The facilities
founder, Yun Ki (also known by his Japanese name of Motoi Tauchi)
wanted to give elderly Koreans in Japan a place where they could
feel like they were at home. His motivation for this was his mother,
a Japanese woman who stayed in Korea after the war and ran an orphanage.
Near the end of her life, she reverted to Japanese and wanted the
foods of her childhood.
This experience suggested to Yun that aging Koreans in Japan probably
yearned for aspects of their childhood, even though they did not
return to Korea. After Yun emigrated to Japan, he decided to set
up such a place.
Kokyou no Ie is like a piece of Korea in the south Osaka area. It
has the traditional heated floors of Korea and Korean furniture
and decorations in the rooms. It echoes with the sounds of conversations
in Korean, and serves traditional Korean fare. It is a true oasis
for Korean residents of Japan.
Other long-term permanent residents who have retired and stayed
in Japan are usually married to Japanese or have spent most of their
adult lives in Japan. This group is primarily people who came to
Japan in the 1950s and 1960s and made a commitment to the country.
Asked why they stayed, several retirees married to Japanese said
it was their families that kept them here. "It isn't that I
don't like going back," said one American man with Japanese
spouse, "But my kids and grandkids are here. Where else would
I really want to be?"
Similarly, an American woman who decided to stay in Japan after
retirement, though she never married, remarked that, "Japan
is home. I've been here for more than 50 years. I can't see leaving
now just because it is a bit tougher."
And it is tougher. Retirees in Japan, like those in any country,
find retirement to be as much of a challenge as working, if not
more.
"I retired officially," said one man originally from The
Netherlands. "Fortunately, I can keep working part-time. I
don't know what my wife will do when I finally stop working. Chase
me out of the house? I just hope I can stay healthy are remain productive."
None of those interviewed expressed any desire to return permanently
to their home country.
The second face of aging in Japan for foreigners is the care for
aging in-laws, often expected of wives. With the number of "international
marriages," that is marriages between Japanese and non-Japanese,
on the increase, there are more and more instances where non-Japanese
women married to Japanese men find themselves providing some, if
not all, of the care to their husband's aging parents. While men
married to Japanese women frequently need to accept one or both
of their aging in-laws into their homes, they seldom are expected
to be the main caregiver.
The Association of Foreign Wives of Japanese (AFWJ) has helped many
non-Japanese women cope with the problems of life in Japan, including
care for aging in-laws. This group, open to women married or engaged
to Japanese men, was begun in 1969. Many of its members find a great
deal of support, as well as information about other sources of help,
from other members.
AFWJ Kansai District Representative Rebecca Otowa said, "most
of it is a matter of individuals helping individuals. We all have
our own story to tell. We can talk to each other, listen, and can
say ‘My God, I went through that, too.' We are a mature organization
now, with plenty of senpai and kohai (seniors and juniors) we can
share with."
Other organizations also provide assistance to non-Japanese residents,
including the Center for Multicultural Information and Assistance
(CMIA), AMDA International Medical Information Center, and the Human
Rights Counseling Center for Foreigners. All reported having assisted
foreign residents with problems associated with aging, including
the problems of medical care, pensions, and insurance.
The non-permanent residents, the third face of aging in Japan, also
receive assistance from CMIA, the Human Rights Counseling Center
for Foreigners, and United for a Multicultural Japan. The problems
of this group are generally centered on medical insurance and retirement
insurance.
As non-Japanese now make up more than 1% of the Japanese labor force,
the problems associated with pension payments and collecting retirement
for foreigners are receiving attention.
In a speech given at a symposium on migration in Tokyo in March,
2003, Vice-Foreign Minister Tetsuro Yano indicated that the number
of non-Japanese in the labor force may increase above its current
1% level in the future.
However, current laws prohibit transfer of money paid into Japan's
pension funds from being sent to bank accounts in their home country.
A lump-sum payment of three-years contributions is provided, but
this is the maximum regardless of the number of years spent working
in Japan. In addition, foreigners who work in Japan for more than
one year are required to pay into the social security system at
the same rate as Japanese.
Given the likelihood that Japan will welcome more non-Japanese workers
into the labor force, current Japanese policy is sure to be a source
of concern to many non-Japanese living here as they become older.
"I don't think I want to live in Japan after I retire,"
said one woman from Singapore currently working at a Japanese company.
"The problem with the pension payments makes me wonder if I
even want to stay more than three years, though my company seems
to want me to."
One course of action for some non-permanent residents is to become
permanent residents. This group is eligible to receive benefits
on par with those given to Japanese citizens.
"I became a permanent resident a few years ago," said
one woman from Canada. "I did it when I realized it was one
way to get something back from my pension payments. However, I really
don't want to live here after I retire."
The faces of aging in Japan are diverse. As the Japanese population
ages, and Japan welcomes more non-Japanese into the labor force,
these faces of aging will continue to evolve.
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