The Politics of Generational Divides in Ageing Societies:

A Comparison of Japan and Germany

Steffen Heinrich

Date: June 26, 2025

Time: 17:30-19:00, 

Venue: Room 301 Building 10, Sophia University

Format: In person / No registration required

Germany and Japan are among the oldest societies in the world, with extensive social insurance systems considered vulnerable to demographic ageing. As younger generations finance benefits for a growing older population, many young people in both countries are increasingly sceptical about the fairness and sustainability of public pensions—while most pensioners remain satisfied. This talk explores three areas of potential intergenerational conflict: perceptions of political efficacy, and attitudes toward welfare and government debt. Despite similar divides, their political consequences differ. In Germany, the discourse on national debt is strongly tied to generational justice; in Japan, this link is much weaker, despite far higher debt levels. Drawing on manifesto, policy, and survey data, the talk concludes by assessing whether and how the trajectories of Japan and Germany challenge conventional assumptions about politics in ageing democracies.

Steffen Heinrich is a political scientist specialising in the politics and political economy of welfare state and labour market reforms from a comparative perspective. His current research focuses on the implications of population ageing for policy preferences and policy choices related to old-age security and fiscal policy in Japan and beyond. Since 2019, he has been a visiting professor of Japanese politics and economy at Freie Universität Berlin.

This talk is organized by Megha Wadhwa (Assistant Professor, DES, Sophia University).

Photo: Advert of the Federal Ministry of Finance in the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 29 May 2024