Fast-aging Japan rethinks work at 70 and beyond

Looser retirement policies swell elderly workforce to over 5m amid labor shortage

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About a quarter of workers at Japanese building maintenance company Seisei Server are aged 70 or older. (Photo by Motokazu Matsui)

MOTOKAZU MATSUI

TOKYO -- Japan's rapidly growing population of seniors is accelerating changes in how businesses and workers think about old age, with 5.4 million people aged 70 or older actively working in a country where retirement at 60 was once the norm.

At kitchen equipment seller Tenpos Holdings, 82-year-old Keno Nagasaki, who handles insurance and other labor issues, is also involved in training and safety education for other older employees. He is trusted by coworkers, who often come to him for advice about their private lives.

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