This study examines retirement decisions in Japan, using the option value (OV) model proposed by Stock and Wise (1990) and examined by subsequent studies. This model assumes that an individual maximizes a weighted average of utility from labor income until retirement as well as that from pension...

This study examines the work capacity of older adults in Japan. First, we estimate the relationship between a variety of health indicators and work status.Work status is divided into full-time work, part-time work, and retired for those in their 50s who are not yet age-eligible for public...

Although earlier studies have demonstrated an association between perceived neighborhood characteristics and self-rated health, these studies did not control for the psychological characteristics of participants, an important consideration when using self-reported data. In this study, we...

Using panel data from two surveys in Japan and Europe, we examine the comparability of the self-rated health of the middle-aged and elderly across Japan and the European countries and the survey periods. We find that a person’s own health is evaluated on different standards (thresholds) across...

This paper explores the public pension claiming behavior of the Japanese. First, we perform financial simulations and estimate the expected utility, depicting the typical patterns of pension benefits over a life cycle. We show that the optimal retirement age depends on the beneficiaries’...

Previous studies have provided evidence of the lasting impact of low socioeconomic status (SES) in childhood on adulthood health. However, the mediating pathway that links them is still under debate. In this study, we examine how educational attainment, household income, and social support...

Previous studies have shown that workplace social capital (WSC) affects workers' health, but its role as a moderator of the associations between job stressors and health outcomes has been largely understudied. The current study investigated whether and to what extent WSC moderates the...

The Japanese Longitudinal Survey on Employment and Fertility (LOSEF): the 2011 Internet Version was composed of 3 elements undertaken simultaneously via the Internet: 1) creation of a panel data set from transcription of administrative data (history of pension enrolment, salary history, etc.)...

In this study, we examined how the impact of child adversity on adulthood mental health is mediated by perceived social support and socioeconomic status (SES) in Japan, using micro data collected from surveys conducted in four municipalities in the Tokyo metropolitan area (N = 3,305). We focused...

This article examined how initial job status following graduation affects the midlife outcomes and mental health of Japanese workers, using micro data from a nationwide Internet survey of 3,117 men and 2,818 women aged 30-60. The focus was the impact of initial job status on...