Political Issues

• Election system, apportionment
• How to end corruption
• Economic System, moving from family model to market model
• Revising Article 9
• continued interest in nationalism, Yasukuni Shrine
• Social welfare is substantially nationalized:

• pensions:
• employees pension -- retirement at age 60
• national pensions -- retirement at age 65
• public pensions provide just over half of income for seniors (so additional investments/income are useful) (1993 data)
• 96% of senior households receive benefits
• national health insurance
• funding: 12% patients; 5% local governments; 29% national govt; 54% fees
• provides choice of providers, low deductibles
• Many issues with graying population