Can't remember the 'Special Provisions for Middle-aged and Older Persons'? Try reading this
Nice to meet you. My name is tetsu, and I run "Goukaku Bansou" (Passing Support), a study support service for the Labor and Social Security Attorney exam.
In this note, I organize topics that examinees often stumble over using a method of understanding the reasons rather than rote memorization.
The "Special Provisions for Shortening the Period for Middle-aged and Older Persons" that many Labor and Social Security Attorney examinees stumble over.
I often hear people say that no matter how many times they look at that table filled with dates of birth and years, it just doesn't sink in...
But actually, there is no need to memorize these special provisions by rote.
Once you understand "why these rules exist," you will be able to derive the table yourself. I will summarize it in 3 minutes.
To begin with, what is the purpose of this system?
In the past, in principle, 25 years of enrollment were required to receive an old-age pension.
However, the pension system was created midway through. Many people in older generations could only join midway through their lives, and no matter how hard they tried, they could not reach 25 years. Working diligently only to receive zero pension—that is just too harsh.
That is why this Special Provision for Shortening the Period for Middle-aged and Older Persons was created as a relief measure. Roughly speaking—
If you have been enrolled in the Employees' Pension Insurance as a company employee for a certain number of years after passing a certain age, it is considered that you have cleared the 25-year requirement.
In other words, it is a shortcut that says, "For those who worked diligently from middle age onwards, we will save them even if they don't have 25 years."
Point 1: The age to start counting (35 or 40 years old)
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Under these special provisions, we count the "period of enrollment in the Employees' Pension Insurance after passing a certain age."
That "starting age" is—
・Women, mine workers, and mariners → 35 years old
・General men → 40 years old
(Periods worked before age 35 are not included in this calculation)
Why is it different for men and women?
This is the most confusing part. However, 35 is not just for women.
Correctly, it is the three groups of "women, mine workers (coal mines), and mariners".
The common thread among these three groups is that they were "people who could receive pensions earlier" under the old pension system.
・Mine workers and mariners: Due to the extremely heavy labor in coal mines and on ships, their bodies wore out quickly → Paid earlier
・Women: At the time, the premise was that they would "retire early due to marriage or childbirth" → Paid earlier
That is why the starting line for being considered "middle-aged or older" was set 5 years earlier at 35 for these three groups only.
With today's values, the idea that "it's earlier because they are women" is irrational, isn't it? In fact, the pension system is moving toward eliminating gender differences.
This special provision is a transitional measure to save the older generation, so it makes sense if you view it as a relic of that time remaining like a fossil.
Point 2: The required years (15–19 years) are all in a sequence.
The required number of years changes depending on your birth year, but actually, this is just a sequential number.
・Showa 22 = Starts from 15 years
・As the birth year advances by 1, the number of years also increases by 1
・Showa 26 = Stops at 19 years (no special provisions after this)
Why do the years increase?
Because the younger the generation, the longer they can earn contribution periods after the system was established. Therefore, the required years are gradually increased, and at the end (those born on or after April 2, Showa 26), they "graduate," meaning no special provisions apply.
Summary: You only need to remember "two things"
Instead of rote memorization, just grasping these points is enough.
① Age to start counting: 35 for the group that could receive it earlier (women, underground miners, mariners), and 40 for general men
② Required years: Sequential starting from 15 for Showa 22, stopping at 19 for Showa 26
If you like mnemonics, you can remember the start of the years as "Husband and wife (22) with a strawberry (15) 🍓," and then just count up from there.
(From the perspective of memory techniques, it is easier to remember if you imagine this image more realistically.)
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You will forget tables over time. But if you grasp "why this rule exists" once, you can reconstruct it yourself even if you forget.
Reduce the amount of rote memorization and keep it until the actual exam.
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Thank you for reading this far.
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