[Excerpt translation from Japanese to English provided by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.]

"Elderly workers facing financial hardship seek advice, numbers increasing as Covid-19 leads to reduced income and lack of jobs", 19 May 2020

On June 17, [2020] a group of lawyers and labor unions offering consultations to people facing hardship due to Covid-19 held a press conference in Tokyo. The organizers revealed that elderly workers are increasingly seeking help as they face financial difficulties due to reduced earnings and inability to find a new job as a result of diminished employment opportunities.

[During a phone consultation event in June,]...the group received approximately 1,200 calls related to job terminations and living expenses. In comparison to a previous event held in April, the number of older workers who are calling for advice has increased, with a quarter of all calls coming from individuals over the age of 70.

According to Tetsuro Kokubo, a lawyer for the group, many older workers are reluctant to accept welfare aid for fear of criticism.