Nenkin
Unexpected Understanding
As long time readers of my stack may recall, nenkin, the Japanese National Retirement Scheme, is a major contributing factor to my upcoming divorce. Attempts to discuss nenkin with Japanese elicited responses similar to those from my fellow Americans in the homeland over FBAR, “You owe, you pay!”
When one of my matsuri pards was asking me about various things and was taking notes leading me to surmise he was going to try to find work for me, he asked about nenkin. Though I was not wanting to deal with that can of worms, I felt compelled to answer.
To my surprise, several understood exactly my plight as they too have or are dealing with it. Most were surprised at the letter demanding payment within a short period of time or the city would seize the house and car. One shook his head in strong approval of my statement and explained it as one who has intimate knowledge of the situation. Later, when I stated that if I had known I was required to pay into the system and that my taxes were not covering it, I would have paid, he even more adamantly supported the sentiment. He has been through it too.
A couple were completely oblivious to any aspect of this but most either have first hand dealings with bits or pieces of it or knew someone, Japanese, who had or is. Several shared different but similar issues that they are dealing with. If I understood, and in this case I believe I did, one is dealing with an issue similar to mine with the national healthcare scheme. I did not catch which program it was with, but his company made payments on his behalf until the law was changed and years later, with just a few years before retirement, he learned that he is years behind in the payments. I think in his case, the amount to be paid by the employee was increased but his employer did not increase the payment amount leaving him with years of the accumulated difference to pay. Several indicated that they have had similar issues or know others who have.
One brought up something that I have heard before, but he did so in a non blaming way, well, not blaming me anyway. He suggested that it was not expressed in the contract that I was responsible for my own health insurance. In the past, others angrily point out that by law such statements must be in the contracts I signed. My friend’s manner of dealing with this sparked my memory. I am sure there were statements to the effect that the employee is responsible for their own insurance, which as written, I took to mean I had to purchase my own insurance which I did. This was further cemented by my visit to the national health care system office in my then ward office where I was told that having my own, private insurance policy fulfilled the requirement.
One of my matsuri friends bowed deeply and apologized for the Faucied up system they have here. In retrospect, it should not be surprising that many in this group are sympathetic and the others empathetic as the membership is a mix of blue collar and white collar folk including irregular employees and an independent small business owner. Most “Regular”* employees, who make up less than 30% of the workforce in Japan and who rarely deal with nonregular employees socially have no idea of the realities outside their ivory tower.
*Can a member of a group consisting of less than 30% of the total be rightly labeled “regular”?
Most of us would be perfectly capable of paying for out own retirements if we weren't overburdened with bullshit taxes, insurance, and even pensions. I am forced to give them money so they can give it back to me at a higher monthly amount that I paid monthly. If this sounds like a scam, it is. It is a Ponzi scheme, named after some dude named Ponzi who paid off his current investors with the money he was taking from his new investors. Eventually someone caught on, lost faith, and Ponzi went down.
The average person does not understand the term personal responsibility. The may be able to articulate the meaning but they would gladly take a handout from the government thinking the money grows on the money tree, which does not exist.
Like Ponzi, the government steals the money from one group of people and gives it to another. No one really notices because it is done in relatively small amounts collectively, in the name of collective welfare. I say relatively because it is not small. As a Honey Badger, I need my honey and honey is not free. It is the collective efforts of bees. These bees should be rewarded with hard cash, or perhaps burgers and beer.
How about this? I have a personal responsibility to not allow the government to steal the wealth of others and I also have the personal responsibility not to burden future generations by having them pay for my retirement. In other words, personal responsibility allows me to reduce the collective debt of future generations in small amounts. The Ponzi scheme ends when we collectively refuse to pay. Ponzi goes down.
I am sure they all dance around the pension office after hours singing "Do the Ponzi! Come on do the Ponzi with me!" While wearing masks I am sure.