[Break Free from a Lifetime of Corporate Slavery] In an Era of Retirement at 70 Where You Work Until You Die, Use NISA to Secure Your “Right to Quit”!

“Extended retirement age = being forced to work until I die”—there’s no end to the middle-aged people in their 40s and 50s who lament this. However, isn’t the “corporate slave mentality”—the idea of “entrusting your life to the company”—lurking at the root of this despair?  

The “Retirement Shift,” which is currently attracting attention, is a positive new concept designed to break free from such a passive approach to work and reclaim the right to self-determination—the freedom to quit whenever you want.  

Why do Japanese people find it so difficult to decide for themselves when to retire?  

Below is an explanation by Shunsuke Yamazaki, a certified financial planner (FP) and author of *RETIRE SHIFT*, on the mindset and specific actions needed to break free from a life of being a “corporate slave” and reclaim your life by utilizing NISA and iDeCo.

The Truth Behind the Looming “Employment Until Age 70”

In many companies, the mandatory retirement age is 60. There’s a common perception that after that, employees are forced to continue working under re-employment schemes—with their salaries slashed—until age 65, when their pensions begin. Do you know any older colleagues around you who are being treated poorly after turning 60?

In fact, this “conventional wisdom regarding those in their 60s” is beginning to change. The number of companies setting the retirement age at 65 or older is actually increasing. Back in 2005, only 6% of companies had a retirement age of 65. That number has been rising rapidly in recent years, and at this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if it reached 50% in five years.

Furthermore, many companies that currently set the retirement age at 65 are establishing systems for continued employment up to age 70. One in three companies has already put in place an environment where employees can work until age 70, confirming the trend of a “five-year shift in the retirement age.”

I can almost hear readers grumbling, “Are we really being forced to work five more years?!” or “So you want us to work until we die? Yeah, right,” but the situation is changing. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to work until age 70. In fact, an era is dawning where it’s not even impossible to retire early.

Holding the “Right to Quit” at Age 65

I call these societal changes surrounding retirement the “Retirement Shift.”

The most exciting aspect of the Retirement Shift era is the shift in “decision-making power over retirement.” In the past, the government and companies held the reins in determining the retirement age.

If the government pushed back the eligibility age for public pensions, we had no choice but to continue working—even for low wages. If companies set a mandatory retirement age and offered only low wages from age 60 to 65, we had no choice but to comply.

However, in the era of mandatory retirement at age 65, the situation is reversed. This is because the fact that “we can receive a pension at age 65” will not change for the time being. Even though we are in the midst of a process to reduce benefit levels, the fact that we can receive a standard pension at age 65 remains unchanged.

If that’s the case, there’s no longer any need to cling to the company after age 65. From age 65 onward, based on factors such as whether the work itself is fulfilling and whether the balance between work and compensation is fair, “we will be the ones to decide whether we’ll work for them.”

The HR department, which has held you back until now, might start pleading with you in a submissive tone: “Please don’t quit yet—please keep working past age 65. We’re short-staffed!”

But the initiative lies with us. An era is coming where we—not the company or the government—will decide “at what age we retire.” Isn’t this a rather delightful vision of the future? (In fact, at one in three companies, this future is already beginning to take shape.)

And your “freedom to retire” might extend even further. That’s because an increasing number of employees are gaining the freedom to retire before age 65.

NISA Millionaires Can Retire at 60

There’s another major shift taking place: the growing number of people building wealth through NISA and iDeCo. While NISA is sometimes criticized as a way of telling people to “make up the shortfall in their pensions on their own,” I, on the contrary, view it as a “means to gain the freedom to retire.”

Recently, thanks to the use of NISA and iDeCo—and riding the wave of rising stock prices—the number of individual investors with assets totaling 50 million yen or even 100 million yen is on the rise.

In fact, NISA usage rates are highest among people in their 30s through 50s. While the old stereotype might suggest that “investing is for people in their 60s and older,” we’re actually seeing a trend toward younger investors.

According to a survey conducted in July 2025, one in five (about 20 percent) of investors in their 50s had assets of 30 million yen or more.Given the recent rise in stock prices, that figure might now be as high as one in four. Even though they’re still in the workforce, they’re accumulating enough assets to retire comfortably at age 60—let alone 65.

If your company refuses to change its 60-year-old retirement age and still offers only “low-wage, menial jobs with continued employment,” you might as well quit on the spot and retire completely at age 60. It’ll be a sight to see the surprised look on the HR department’s face when you tell them this—they’d probably been thinking, “You’ll keep working until 65, even for low pay, right?”

Investing doesn’t just provide immediate financial comfort—it also gives you the freedom to retire on your own terms. This, too, is one aspect of the “Retirement Shift.”

Break Free from Corporate Slavery! You Decide When to Retire

The term “corporate slave” refers to salaried workers who are forced to continue working despite feeling oppressed. Perhaps we’ve spent our lives bowing to the company, afraid of being subjected to harassing transfers or of losing out on promotions and raises.

However, when it comes to “retirement,” it’s now possible to turn the tables. In the era of the “Retirement Shift,” you’ll be able to decide for yourself when to retire.

NISA millionaires can quit whenever they like—whether at 60 or 65. It’s best to keep working only as long as the job remains enjoyable. For the average person, since you can work until age 65, let’s think about what to do at that point. Many companies have a mandatory retirement age of 65, so there won’t be a drastic drop in annual income.

As you approach 65, companies will plead with you to stay on as long as possible. Once you’re past 65, you can ignore the company’s wishes and decide based on “how long I want to work.”

It might be a good idea to work for just a few years to pass on your skills to younger employees, and then retire once you’re satisfied. Working for a few more years simply because the pay is high isn’t a bad option either. But if the pay is low and the work isn’t fulfilling, just say no. You can simply quit at 65. Don’t worry if the HR department looks troubled.

The era of the “retirement shift” will bring major changes to the final stages of a corporate slave’s life.

“You Decide How Long to Work”

“If the conditions are right, I’ll work.”

—that is the mindset of the “Retire Shift” era.

■ Click here to purchase *RETIRE SHIFT* (Toyo Keizai Inc.)