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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Economy & Trade

A 70-year-old former manager now works as a cleaner, calling himself a “poor old person”

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth From a news agency Context piece
  • The 70-year-old man, identified by the pseudonym Yuji, left his management job at 60 and now works cleaning buildings to make a living.
  • Incomplete pension contributions, divorce and distant family relationships have left him with limited financial and personal support.
  • Despite the hardship, he says he finds value in helping people live comfortably and wants to retain a small hope for the future.

At 70, Yuji still cleans apartment buildings to support himself. He once rose to department manager at a small or medium-sized company, but after retiring at 60, he found himself living alone in a small apartment with limited income and no close family support.

I suddenly felt fear, as if I had fallen into an abyss of despair. I thought I would die alone, unable to speak with anyone or see anyone’s face.

— YujiHe described his isolation after losing the chance to continue working.

Yuji said he had hoped to work for another five years. Instead, he felt pressure inside the company to “make way for younger colleagues” and left the workforce. He later sought work through an employment service center and took cleaning jobs, working morning and evening shifts.

His financial difficulties also reflect decisions and circumstances earlier in life. After graduating from university, he spent time saving money through temporary work and then traveled overseas before taking a regular job in his 30s. As a result, he did not make full contributions to Japan’s employees’ pension system. He divorced in his 50s, left a home inherited by his former wife’s father, and said half of his already limited pension was taken by his former wife. His relationship with his children is not close.

I kept telling myself that this also counts as exercise, and continued working hard.

— YujiHe described cleaning stairways, building exteriors, entrances and garbage collection areas.

Yuji rarely takes time off, even when tired or unwell. He does not use heating in winter and turns on the air conditioner only when summer heat becomes unbearable. He said he opened it about three times during an exceptionally hot year.

People may be able to live comfortably because I have cleaned this place, and that helps me continue.

— YujiHe explained how he finds value in physically demanding cleaning work.

Cleaning is physically demanding, but Yuji says it gives him a sense of purpose because people can live more comfortably when he leaves a place clean. He accepts responsibility for his incomplete pension record and past circumstances, while noting that other older people may face poorer health or more complicated relationships. “Even at this age, having no money and no family is very difficult, but I still hope to keep living with a little hope, even if it is very small,” he said.

Even at this age, having no money and no family is very difficult, but I still hope to keep living with a little hope, even if it is very small.

— YujiHe expressed his wish to maintain hope despite financial hardship and family estrangement.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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