Tokyo - March 9, 2007 - Hakuhodo's Elder Business Development Division constantly monitors the lifestyles of Japan's elders - or people aged 50+ - through an array of studies and other research. Below we present findings from a focus survey on baby-boom generation respondents (458 people currently aged 56-58) that took part in our recent Hope Survey poll of 2,036 elders aged 50-64 nationwide. The topic was the life plans they have for their looming post-retirement life.

Our research shows that health and finances are significant post-retirement concerns for both men and women. For men, living expenses/pensions (56.9%) was a particular concern to men, while for women memory loss (42.9%) and diminishing personal appearance (32.1%) were.

We also learned that for building up savings, more baby-boomers look to asset management (44.1%) than to returning to work after the official retirement age of 60 (24.5%).

When respondents were asked to name the things they look forward to doing after they turn 60, domestic hot spring trips, surfing the Internet and domestic trips to get in touch with nature were popular choices with both men and women. But there were some gender differences: aside from travel and entertainment, which were high for both sexes, women also look forward to gardening (35.8%) and e-mailing (34.6%), while men are interested in going for drives (39.0%) and investing (28.9%).

We also probed boomers on the work - private time - community work balance they envisage for themselves in their post-60 lives. On average, men imagine a work: 34.8%, community work: 16.3%, private time: 48.9% balance; while for women it is work: 24.6%, community work: 17.1%, and private time: 58.4%. With a work and community work total of 51.1% for men and 41.7% for women, it appears that both sexes look forward to actively participating in society after retirement.

Detailed survey data are outline in the following pages.