Masa Higo is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Social Gerontology at Kyushu University, Japan. His research focuses on the roles of population ageing and economic globalization in creating and reproducing risks and inequalities in later life in the United States, Japan and other countries in East Asia.

Thomas R. Klassen is a Professor in the Department of Political Science, and the School of Public Policy and Administration, at York University in Toronto, Canada. He has written widely on retirement and income security policies.

1. Retirement in Japan and Korea in an Era of Rapid Population Ageing 2. Development of the 'Productivist' Welfare Regimes in Japan and Korea 3. Mandatory Retirement in Japan: An Overview of the Past and Present 4. Experiencing Mandatory Retirement: The Perspective of Older Workers in Japan 5. Mandatory Retirement in Korea: An Overview of the Past and Present 6. Experiencing Mandatory Retirement: The Case of Older Workers in Korea 7. Aging Challenges in China's Workforce: Demographic Projections, Labor Market Dynamics and Solutions 8. The Move to Abolish Mandatory Retirement Age: The Case of the United Kingdom 9. The Future of Mandatory Retirement: A Japan-Korea Comparison and Policy Lessons

This book analyses reforms to retirement policies in Japan and South Korea, especially in the context of rapid population ageing.¿ A defining feature of the labour markets and workplaces in these two nations, and the lives of workers and families, is involuntary retirement at relatively young ages. The book explains past developments and recent reforms of retirement policies both in the two countries, as well as in a cross-national comparative manner. At the core of the book is an examination of the social, economic and political conflicts around retirement, such as between younger and older workers, between employers and governments, and between employers and workers. The policy recommendations offered apply not only to Japan and South Korea, but also to other nations such as China.
The volume is of value particularly for those interested in labour markets and workplaces, population ageing and contemporary East Asia, in addition to those studying retirement and pensions. Policymakers, business leaders, worker organizations, researchers and students will benefit from the insights about the past, present and future of retirement.