Japan's employment model has been that of "lifetime employment," especially for male college-educated workers. Under such a system, an individual becomes employed by a firm upon graduation and remains in its employ until retirement. (Author/SSH)

Although Japan is known to have the earliest mandatory retirement age (age 55) among the industrialized nations, the majority of workers continue to work beyond that age. Two systems allow those retired from their career jobs to continue to work: the reemployment system and the extension-of-employment system. (Author)

Figures for Japan show that the percentage of people aged 55 and over will rise from 17.6 percent in 1980 to 32 percent in 2010. Employers show little concern about the aging of the work force and are accustomed to providing training geared to older workers. The government supports the employment and training of older workers through the…