? ?
WORLD / Asia-Pacific
Social security scandal angers Japanese
(AP)
Updated: 2007-09-02 14:46
TOKYO - After reading a book this year about serious flaws in Japan's
pension system, retired deliveryman Yoshikazu Hirano thought he'd check
his own records just to be safe. He's glad he did: The 74-year-old
discovered the government had shortchanged him by 460,000 yen ($3,770) in
benefits he accrued while driving a truck for three years in the 1950s
and 60s.
An unidentified pensioner, right, talks with consultant Kiyoshi Kawaguchi
at the pension provision department relating to pension adjustment at a
Social Insurance Agency's office in Kawasaki, west of Tokyo, Friday, Aug.
24, 2007. [AP]?
Hirano wasn't alone. Shortly afterward, the government confessed to
losing track of pension records linked to an astounding 64 million claims
- igniting a scandal that has punished the ruling party at the polls and
eroded confidence in the ability of the world's second largest economy to
support its growing legions of elderly.
Hirano, who is single and lives outside Tokyo, felt defrauded. "Had I not
asked, I would have never gotten the money back," he said.
The pension mess, fully disclosed in May, has landed on one of the
world's fastest-aging societies: 21 percent of its 127 million
inhabitants are 65 or older and some 25 million retirees are collecting
pensions, rising to 35 million by 2040.
People have flooded pension offices and 24-hour call centers seeking to
check their records, and titles such as "Recover your pension!" fill
bookstores and newsstands.
The confusion has hit Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The outrage contributed
to a plunge in his popularity and forced him to delay an upper house
election for a week - to no avail, since his ruling party was trounced at
the polls anyway, though he remains in office.
An interim government report released in July alleged widespread
incompetence at the Social Insurance Agency: records kept in yellowing
files instead of on computers, evidence of possible embezzlement of
funds, and rampant clerical mistakes.
"The organization had little sense of compliance," said the report, which
blamed the mess on faulty governance, low morale, lack of professionalism
and ignorance of "the duty to protect the people's rights."
The agency was established a decade ago to unify three separate pension
organizations - one for self-employed or non-workers, another for company
employees, and the third for public servants. With 70 million members and
$1.3 trillion in reserves, it is one of the world's largest.
The panel found internal agency documents indicating embezzlement of
pension money by employees. But the fund's flaws were largely clerical;
it failed to properly match some 50 million claim records with the
correct individuals, and more than 14 million records aren't
computerized, meaning they can't be readily retrieved when claims are
submitted.
?? ?? 1?? 2?? ??
?? ?? 1?? 2?? ??
Top World News ?
* Japan's prime minister says he'll resign
* US nuclear experts visit North Korea
* AP Poll: Most see Iraq war as failure
* Guantanamo detainees tell of abuses
* 5 killed in plane crash in DR Congo
Today's Top News ?
* Japan's prime minister says he'll resign
* Do not play up quality issue - official
* Consumer inflation hits 11-year high
* Nation's rich have poor reputation
* Al-Qaida: 2nd bin Laden video coming
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
Learn Chinese, Learning Chinese, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet
