Yesterday I went to the "Street Corner Pension Consultation Center" in Kashiwa.
When I turned 62, I went to the pension office to apply for a special pension, but since I was not yet married to my wife at that time, I naturally did not apply for the additional pension.
This time, when I turned 65, I decided to apply for an additional pension at the same time as I was officially receiving my old-age pension.
The additional pension is paid to those who have a dependent family member, a spouse under the age of 65 or a child under the age of 18 at the time they start receiving the old-age pension. In other words, it is a kind of alimony.
I was told in advance what documents I needed for the procedure over the phone, so the procedure went smoothly.
The three documents submitted were (1) a certificate of the entire family register (to confirm marital status), (2) a copy of the certificate of residence for all members of the household (to confirm whether they are living together), and (3) a certificate of tax exemption for the wife (to confirm whether she is earning a living).
My pension book and my wife's pension book, just in case. I prepared my number card for both of them, but I didn't use it because the pension office already knew about it.
I had made an appointment and the procedure was completed in about 10 minutes.
Now, if I am still alive, my wife will receive an additional pension until she turns 65. The amount is 390,500 yen per year. The monthly amount is 32,541 yen, so I'm grateful.
Come to think of it, my wife and I have different colors for our pension booklets. My wife's is blue and mine is orange.
I found out that the pension booklet for those who became eligible after January 1997 is blue.
After going to the pension counseling center, I said hello to the company where I am currently working part-time.
I told them that I was currently looking for a job at Hello Work. I couldn't continue my part-time job once I found a job, so I went to talk to them beforehand.
My part-time employer is also considering me for a full-time internal job. However, since the timing is still undecided, we will consider it when the offer officially comes.
Then I interviewed with one company. They said they could hire me right away. However, there are days when my shift ends at 20:30.
This means that I have to go home at 9:30pm. Normally, I'm already asleep.
The work location is close to the station, I can work four days a week, and I think the work is fine, but the only problem is the end time.
It may not be every day, but there will be days when I can't have dinner with my wife.
Japanese people may not think anything of it, but for Filipinos, eating together as a family is important.
When I told my wife about it at home, she dismissed the idea as expected. Well, it was a natural reaction.
My wife isn't too keen on me working either, but I'm determined to work until I'm at least 70.
So, let's keep looking for a job.
