Strengthening Employment-Based Pensions in Japan

Pension Research Council Working Paper No. 2002-1

35 Pages Posted: 4 Mar 2002

See all articles by Olivia S. Mitchell

Olivia S. Mitchell

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School; University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School, Pension Research Council; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Robert L. Clark

North Carolina State University - Poole College of Management

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: October 11, 2001

Abstract

This paper investigates how the Japanese pension market for funded employment-based pensions is changing and how it might be strengthened in order to better serve one of the most rapidly aging populations in the world. Public and private pensions in Japan are estimated to hold around US$3 trillion, making that system the second largest globally after the United States. However unfavorable economic developments have cut sharply cut into asset values and the weak economy is undermining traditional lifetime employment contracts. The recent passage of new legislation permitting the establishment of defined contribution plans in Japan may provide new opportunities for employer-sponsored retirement plans. We begin by describing the Japanese pension system at the end of the 20th century, and then provide an overview and evaluation of the changes in the pension arena emerging from the 2001 legislation. We show that important design questions remain to be answered, if Japanese employment-based pensions are to be reformed and modernized. We also suggest what lessons might be gleaned from recent changes in pension plans in the United States.

Suggested Citation

Mitchell, Olivia S. and Clark, Robert L., Strengthening Employment-Based Pensions in Japan (October 11, 2001). Pension Research Council Working Paper No. 2002-1, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=302130 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.302130

Olivia S. Mitchell (Contact Author)

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School ( email )

Philadelphia, PA 19104-6365
United States

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School, Pension Research Council ( email )

3302 Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall
3620 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6302
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Robert L. Clark

North Carolina State University - Poole College of Management ( email )

Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27695-8614
United States
919-515-5560 (Phone)
919-515-5564 (Fax)

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
179
Abstract Views
2,818
Rank
222,317
PlumX Metrics