Powerful Typhoon Shanshan has wreaked havoc in large swathes of Japan, with southwestern coastal city of Miyazaki being one of the hardest-hit areas.
Shanshan, the 10th typhoon this year, has weakened to a tropical depression since it made landfall in the country’s south-west on Thursday.
In Miyazaki, the Typhoon knocked out power, toppled trees, flooded roads and blew off entirely or partially roofs of hundreds of buildings. To protect themselves from heavy rains, locals have to cover their roofs with blue tarps.
The Shimizu family was cleaning up their damaged houses when a CCTV reporter visited the neighborhood. All their three houses were left in shambles. 87-year-old Masayuki Shimizu, who has lived here for over 50 years, recounted the horrific moments when the typhoon struck at night.
"I heard a loud crash and it was a sound I had never heard before. Then came the sound of glass shattering, with stones flying over. When I went [outside,] I saw that it [the roof] had already been blown away, and the power was knocked out by that time. The noise was extremely loud, and everything in the house was wet," he said.
Shimizu said that his son's house had just been renovated at a significant cost. But now much of the outer wall has fallen off, adding another financial burden for repairs.
"It was just renovated ten days ago. We spent several million yen (about tens of thousands of U.S. dollars), and now everything was destroyed," he said.
Repair costs and future living arrangements are weighing on the family's budget.
"At this age, I'm not really thinking about rebuilding. I need to discuss with the children and grandchildren how to do with the vacant store in front and this house. For now, we'll do emergency repairs and live here temporarily," said the old man. According to data from the local government, Typhoon Shanshan had damaged 750 homes in Miyazaki City as of Saturday, mostly due to strong winds. When normalcy will return for residents remains uncertain.
Typhoon Shanshan is now still causing havoc, with rain and gusts hitting southern Japan.
Typhoon Shanshan damages hundreds of homes in Japan's Miyazaki City
Many Singaporeans support raising the re-employment age, partly to stay busy and active in retirement, and to help address demographic challenges in the workforce.
Like many other Asian countries, Singapore is grappling with a rapidly aging population. The government predicts that by 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 or older, up from one in 10 two decades ago.
A survey on retirement and employment conducted last year in the country found broad support for raising the national retirement age, with about 88 percent of those aged 50 and above in favor.
Some supported increasing the retirement age because continuing to do what they love, rather than retiring, keeps them feeling youthful and fulfilled.
When Nancy Hor, a retired IT operations manager, left her job five years ago, she wasn't sure how to fill her time.
"I'm a workaholic. At the very first stage after I retired, I felt I could not find balance," she said.
Hor, now 70, said it took her some time to adjust. In her spare time, she stays busy line dancing and spending time with her family.
But she said that if she had had the choice, she would have liked to stay employed a little longer.
"I think it's good for the elderly that even they have some job to do, and keep them busy," said Hor.
In March, authorities announced plans to raise the retirement age to 64 and the re-employment age to 69 by 2026.
Singapore's Minister of State for Manpower, Gan Siow Huang, said the changes to the rules protect senior workers from dismissal due to age-related issues before they reach the statutory retirement age. Employers are also required to offer re-employment to eligible workers until they reach the statutory re-employment age limit.
This follows a similar move made two years ago to raise the retirement and re-employment ages to 63 and 68, respectively. The city-state is also aiming for a retirement age of 65 and a re-employment age of 70 by 2030.
"That is to reduce the impact on businesses, so it gives time for businesses to adapt their policy. This gradual increase in retirement age basically provides a framework for individuals like myself, who want to continue to be gainfully employed," said Patrick Chang, a retirement planning specialist and the author of the A to Z guide to retirement planning.
Chang said that businesses will need to make adjustments to accommodate the changes, including offering retraining for senior workers.
He noted that the changes won't impact those who still wish to retire earlier, but given Singapore's demographic challenges, the country cannot afford to remain idle.
"If we don't do it now, the social cost could be high. We cannot wait until the time when we need it today, and then we get something done. It will probably be a bit too late, and the cost of getting to that solution will be higher," said Chang.
Many Singaporeans support raising retirement, re-employment ages
