The Graduate School of Management held the symposium, “Rethinking the Corporate Pension and Retirement Allowance Systems,” on March 11th (Thursday) in the Kyoto University Clock Tower International Exchange Hall I (symposium jointly sponsored with Mizuho Securities).

The Mizuho Securities Chair (corporate endowed chair) was established at the Graduate School of Management in 2005. This symposium was held with the aim of sharing the results from the education and research conducted by the Mizuho Securities Chair to the business community. Symposiums are held two times a year, every spring in Tokyo and every autumn in Kansai. The purpose of regularly holding symposiums is so that information is not only retained by researchers at universities, but is passed on to society.

For topic for this symposium was “Corporate Pension and Retirement Allowance Systems”. As symbolized by the news of Japan Airlines last year, corporate pension and retirement allowance systems are facing many obstacles in Japan’s increasing aged society. How should this welfare system that was a pillar of modern day society be reformed for the future; Or what kind of new system is needed? These questions were addressed not only by Kyoto University’s researchers, but also Professor Toshiaki Tachibanaki of Doshisha University and Mr. Masaharu Usuki of the Nissei Life Insurance Research Center.

The first half of the symposium consisted of the following three lectures:

*Minoru Nakai (Kyoto University Graduate School of Management Mizuho Securities Chair Professor), Keynote Lecture: “Rethinking the Corporate Pension and Retirement Allowance System”
*Toshiaki Tachibanaki (Doshisha University Faculty of Economics Professor), “The Demise of Corporate Welfare”
*Masaharu Usuki (Nissei Life Insurance Research Center Pension Research Director), “Topics on Retirement Allowance and Corporate Pension”

The second half of the symposium consisted of a panel discussion, coordinated by Graduate School of Management Professor Hidetaka Kawakita. The Executive Vice President of Kyoto University, Professor Shuzo Nishimura, and Graduate School of Economics Professor Kazuo Yoshida also took part in the panel discussion. Although the panelists agreed on the fact that the generation of corporations actively taking part in welfare has passed, there were differing perspectives on what kind of replacement system is needed. The difficulty of this topic was evidenced by the panelists disagreement, with Professor Tachibanaki suggesting the reform of public welfare, and Professors Nakai and Nishimura who expressed their skepticism towards government systems.

This symposium was also the final event at Kyoto University before retirement for Professor Nakai, the keynote lecturer. At the end of the symposium, Executive Vice President Nishimura commended Professor Nakai for his studies and research and presented him with a commemoratory gift. This symposium, attended by over 120 participants, was an opportunity to listen to intense discussions and proved to be a very thought provoking symposium.

A Scene of Symposium