When the first batch of baby boomers born between 1947 and 1949 start retiring at the end of March, the three public libraries run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will also see many qualified librarians go.
But unlike the expected gradual decline in the labor force in other industries, the number of librarians at the Hibiya, Chuo and Tama libraries will be nearly halved in five years.
As part of cost-cutting measures, the metropolitan government stopped hiring licensed librarians in 2002, and there is no sign this will change. The baby boomer generation represents a large chunk of Tokyo librarians because the Chuo Library in Minato Ward, established in 1973, hired many young librarians at that time.