Japan’s iDeCo (individual defined contribution) plan enrollment is growing rapidly in the wake of a January 2017 expansion of iDeCo eligibility. iDeCo plans differ from corporate defined contribution plans in several respects, the biggest of which is that most iDeCo participants do not open iDeCo accounts until they are in their 40s or 50s. With this tendency toward opening iDeCo accounts at a relatively late age unlikely to change, iDeCo plans should be redesigned to reflect their distinctive nature as a retirement savings vehicle dependent on self-motivation.
