When my grandpa was little, he didn’t think he would live past 80. His own grandfather was the oldest in his village at that age when he died.

But this month, my grandpa, Tatsuyuki Muroi, quietly turned 99. I say “quietly” because although it’s a milestone, when I visited him in his aged care home in southern Japan this week to ask him about it, he chuckled and admitted he had lost count.

I visited my grandpa in his aged care home in Kitakyushu this week.

Japan is the epitome of an ageing population. More than one in 10 people living in the country have celebrated an 80th birthday. And this month, it recorded just shy of 100,000 people aged 100 or older.

It’s an intriguing place and far from perfect. But it gives us an insight into what we might expect, and what we should think about, as Australia becomes an older population too.

One thing I noticed almost immediately in many places across Japan was the number of older people not only going about their day, but manning food stalls, cleaning streets, and running their own businesses.

Part of this is out of necessity. Because the pension that Japanese people receive is largely based on the amount they contributed during their working life, those who have worked in unstable or low-wage jobs may not receive enough to live comfortably. Meanwhile, older Australians without enough superannuation or wealth are generally eligible for a pension that ensures they can live relatively comfortably.

But working can also help people to stay connected, feel a sense of purpose, and pass on wisdom and skills to younger generations.

About one in four people aged 65 or older were employed in Japan in 2021 compared with about one in seven in Australia.

Some of the difference might come down to cultural expectations, but also the perverse incentives created by Australia’s pension system. For instance, a pensioner in Australia can end up effectively

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