Tokuyuki Kudo, a 40-year-old former chemical engineer who lives in Osaka, has been unable to find full-time employment since leaving his old job at a chemical manufacturer 10 years ago. Kudo quit when the firm decided to indirectly fire him by forcing him to transfer.
After a spate of temporary and part-time jobs, Kudo found work as a security guard. However, his hours are irregular and the number of working days per month is decreasing as companies cut back on spending.
Kudo has sent out applications to numerous companies over the past decade, hoping to make good use of his experience as an engineer. He said he has been continually rejected because of his age.
"I was even told that I only had four months to go before turning 36," when applying for a position for which the maximum age was set at 35, Kudo said. "I was exactly at that age."
A nationwide poll by an affiliate of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry and released last March revealed that more than 90 percent of firms have an age limit for job applicants. The average cut-off age was 41.
Firms blamed the seniority wage system for creating a situation in which it is no longer economical to hire older workers. In response, the labor ministry revised the Employment Measures Law, making firms answerable to the government when they impose age limits on a job.
However, the law, which took effect in October, is not legally binding.
Of the nation's 3.37 million unemployed, 1.38 million are aged 45 or over. And many face age discrimination.
For some, the situation is darker still. With a family to support and loans to pay off, extended unemployment results in suicide.
According to the National Police Agency, there were more than 30,000 suicides in 2000, the third straight year the figure topped 30,000. Nearly 3,000 cases were attributed to financial hardship, up 5.3 percent from a year earlier.
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