Gov't considers expanding part-timers' pension coverage

So desperate to grab cash, even from part time workers, propping up an unworkable system something like 60% of workers are part time employee and the government now want a cut of their ¥1,000 an hour wage. How about the government stop spending money.but that idea is Crazy.

Yeah all in an attempt to keep the fund flush with money and make business owners pay more for their employee overhead.

The world flow of making things harder for middle class and small business while giving the rich infinite breaks and opportunities is why most of the world can't continue to afford many of their programs.

While it's not necessarily the best example, ancient Roman's increased the taxes on wealth and property when they wanted to roll out new programs, build new things, or went into war. They didn't want to break the backs of the poor.

I pay into the health insurance system (kind of a must when you have kids), but I tell Japan I'm paying into the US SS system and the US that I'm paying into the Japanese system, and neither has any way to confirm.

What a sad joke.

One universal pension plan for all workers, part-time and full-time, would solve the problem.

Likewise, one universal medical plan for all workers, both part-time and full-time, would solve be a huge benefit for the Japanese economy.

What's that smell? It's the smell of a cash grab! They make it sound as if they are doing part time workers a big favor by allowing them to join the pension system (scam). The part they don't mention is, a little over 80% of the money they pay into this scam will be taken by the government and will never be seen again. It is not a pension system at all! It's a tax! The fact the pension scam is broke and they need to fleece everybody for more money shows just how poorly this scam was structured and how poorly it has been managed in the 60 odd years since its creation. Heck! They have even put the funds onto the international stock market to gamble for dividends. They would probably have better luck taking it all to a pachinko parlor. What a complete and utter rip off!

The current employee pension program targets part-timers at firms with at least 501 employees who work 20 hours or more a week and are paid monthly salaries of 88,000 yen or more.

If you have a dependent spouse and children, paying into shakai hoken will get you a (low) pension for two people and 70%-cover healthcare for two people plus kids off a lower contribution than buying kokumin nenkin and kokumin kenko hoken for two adults.

If you are self employed and can put lots of stuff on expenses, paying shakai hoken off a low salary (artificially lowered by the expenses) may be a good deal if you have dependents.

The people ripped off by shakai hoken are high earning singletons.

@Zichi.

What is your source of this information. The City Hall where I live told me that I would only get 10% back. If I paid 80k into the system I get 8k back)To get the 10% back I have to be out of the country for 365 days. After the 365th day, I have to fly back to Japan, complete the paperwork for a refund, fly back home and hope the paperwork doesn't get messed up. Aftee paying 2k for a plane ticket, and getting a 8k refund on 80k I paid into the system I have 6k left. What sense does this make. This is EXACTLY why us gaijin call this a scam. Unless you plan to live in Japan forever, this IS a scam. For people nkt staying here forever, this is is a large sumof money to pay for thr elderly collecting a pension on my hard earned money.

Rubbish. This is just another money grubbing scam by the Japanese government to syphon more money from their people under the guise of pension.

and if it doesn't work, which it won't, they'll use dirty intimidation tactics to get the money out of them.

kohakuebisu - The people ripped off by shakai hoken are high earning singletons.

Well, that shows how much you know. My Mrs was married for 25 years to a Japanese man and she only worked part time for most of the years she was married. She has paid a little over 60 grand (¥6 million) into this scam over 25 years of being a low income earner. she received a statement from the pension office two weeks ago. After paying 60 grand into this scam over 25 years, her entitlement is only 13 grand (¥1.3 million) - less than 20% of her total instalments. She was neither single or a high income earner. That shoots your 'rich and single' theory in the butt, doesn't it?

Disillusioned, I'm intrigued that your Mrs was told by the pension office that she was entitled to a certain fixed amount. It sounds like you're saying she gets a lump sum and then nothing. Or so much a year till she's received ¥1.3 million, then no pension ever after?

I had a private pension package that worked like that - I could either take a paltry amount every year until I croaked, or the whole amount due either as a lump sum or over a number of years. The public pension doesn't work like that.

If your Mrs has paid in ¥6million over 25 years (an average of ¥20,000 a month), that's way more than the kokumin nenkin premiums, so presumably she was in some kind of kosei nenkin scheme. Kosei nenkin is paid out so much a year in 2-month amounts, not a lump sum.

So lemma get this straight........are you serious Japan?

Why don't you RAISE the minimum wage and then talk to those people working LONG hours for ant food about making them pay.

Cmon guys stop with that raising of minimum wage nonsense, if you know economy a little bit you know that it's not going to help or even bring opposite than expected consequences.

I believe gaikokujins coming to Japan should pay 1.5 more to the nenkin. So they contribution can be visible and cheered by us, Japanese people.

Disillusioned

If your partner has paid in for years, why does she not just receive the pension when she reaches the pension age? Why is she trying to cash out? Why should a public system automatically allow people to cash out?

A Japanese female who is already 60 will live on average until she is 88 (see remaining life expectancy). The pension may be low, but the average woman of 60 will receive it for nearly 30 years. The pension industry was never designed to pay people that long.

Even the 65000 yen a month basic kokumin nenkin pension (off a 14,000 a month premium) adds up to getting twenty-three million yen over 30 years. That's off paying in (or not paying in off spouse dependency) 14,000 a month for 40 years = 6.7 million yen. That's a 250% return. With 30 years as a dependent spouse, it will be close to 1000%.

@Disillusioned

I think your Mrs is entitled to a pension since she was able to comply with the 10 year minimum. I suggest you clarify this with the city office and ask what options you have.