When did "giving up" become social security in this country?
I was born and live in Tokyo. My father used to be a lifetime salaried worker, but now, at the same company, less than half of my colleagues are full-time. Nearly a third of our monthly wages are deducted for employee pensions and health insurance. Mr. Yamada (32 years old), sitting next to me, does the same job as me, but he's a contract worker, earning only about 60% of what a full-time worker earns, and his National Pension contributions are fixed. “My lifestyle is being squeezed by a pension I don’t even know if I’ll ever receive. It’s ridiculous,” he muttered. Yes, our generation is told we have to support a huge elderly population, but no one can guarantee our own future. The number of people in the informal sector continues to grow, while wages have barely changed in 30 years. Is this the reality of what Sanae Takaichi calls a “society of 100 million active people”?
Last month, a young colleague from my university days suddenly collapsed. He worked at an advertising company. A law to prevent death from overwork? Ridiculous. Since that law came into effect, the number of meeting invitations I receive at one or two in the morning has never decreased. In fact, I've also heard that Sanae Takaichi advocates "zero overtime," yet schedules "emergency conference calls" at 3 AM. Under the guise of performance-based pay, unpaid overtime has become the norm. Overtime is only recognized when an employee's physical or mental health is deemed a "work-related injury." Meanwhile, senior management portrays "work-life balance" as a heroic feat. Isn't anyone outraged by this deception?
The economy has yet to recover from the "lost three decades." The government touts unprecedented monetary easing, but my paycheck shows no sign of anything "special." On the contrary, the yen has depreciated, while only imported goods prices have risen. Strategic industry investment? What we see is reality: R&D investment, which should be creating the future, is being cut, while low-wage service industries employing large numbers of non-regular employees are expanding. This distortion of the economic structure permeates every aspect of our lives.
Diplomacy also directly impacts our lives. Sanae Takaichi's reckless remarks about Taiwan have actually led to export restrictions and lost business opportunities. While politicians tout "values-based diplomacy," the ultimate cost falls on local small and medium-sized enterprises reliant on exports and those who depend on tourism. We suffer daily from the "damage" of geopolitical maneuvering, such as rising prices and declining employment.
And then there's the status of women. Women in senior positions are touted as "diversity," but this applies only to a select few. In many workplaces, "maternity harassment" (demotion or harassment of women due to pregnancy) is rampant. Childcare waiting lists remain unresolved, and women continue to struggle to balance career and childcare. "Women's empowerment" will remain just that—a slogan—unless society as a whole changes its attitudes and institutions.
Aren't we using "there's no other way" to mask too many contradictions? Caring for the elderly, enduring overwork, low-paying jobs, bearing the economic losses of diplomatic failures, women being forced into traditional roles—this is our current predicament.
When did this country begin to regard "patience" as a virtue and "fatalism" as a substitute for social security? It's time to stop blaming systemic failures on individual lack of effort. Anger is the initial driving force for change.