Japan’s Social Security System Seriously Messed Up

Japanese can be pretty passive as a whole.

When the door frame is too low, they will continue to duck, whereas an American might want to raise the top to make it more accomodating.

Some/many Japanese don't want to duck anymore when it comes to the mess up with the social security system.

The government confessed to losing track of pension records linked to an astounding 64 million claims. There are only 128 million people in Japan. That's one lost record per every two people.

Boy, am I glad I opted out of the system when I had the chance.

One in five Japanese are over 65 years of age and 25 million are collecting pensions…or at least part of what they are owed. Nobody knows yet how much they have been short changed.

PM Abe's government is facing:

1. incompetence at the Social Security Agency

2. records kept in yellowing files instead of on PCs

3. possible embezzlement

4. widespread clerical mistakes in attention-to-detail Japan.

The problem existed before PM Abe…but it was discovered on his watch.

The agency consists of pensions for self-employed or non-workers, company employees and public servants.

There is $1.3 trillion in reserves. The problem is nobody knows how much belongs to whom and who did not get what was coming to them.

And most of the people affected, the 65+ year olds don't even know to find out. 

Have you called the Social security office yet?