Next year, the government plans to cut some civil service pay and retirement allowances.

Some people are also eligible for corporate retirement allowances.

Rather, a fixed formula, stipulated by the 1937 Act, determines members' future retirement allowances.

About half of this was from government pensions and the rest from savings and retirement allowances.

The contract, meant to remain confidential, provides Dr. George with a $1.4 million retirement allowance, to be paid over 14 years.

The employee's retirement allowance comprises the city-financed pension and the employee-financed annuity.

Several advocacy groups are trying to address that problem, by creating a modest retirement allowance that would replace the workshop paycheck.

"We don't know what will become of our retirement allowance," said Mr. Naruse, an assistant principal at a public girls' school.

In a rare move for a Japanese company, the Sony Corporation said that it would disclose data on salaries and retirement allowances paid to its board members.

About 90% of firms with thirty or more employees gave retirement allowances in the late 1980s, frequently as lump sum payments but increasingly in the form of annuities.

The comparison with the private sector is difficult due to the differences in retirement allowances, the rate of employee replacement, and the differences in contribution to the retirement funds.

Mr. Diskin's retirement allowance is based on his final year's salary, and he was allowed to make large pension contributions for the first 20 years, Mr. Aaronson said.

Few companies lay off employees, but many have pressured employees to take early retirement and, despite large retirement allowances, such employees must often search for another job since the cost of living is so high.

A defined benefit retirement plan does not base future retirement benefits on how much the employee and employer contribute to the fund, nor do fluctuating investment returns play a role in determining final retirement allowances.

He was, however, entitled to a formal retirement ceremony, or danpatsu-shiki, at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan and was also given a retirement allowance by the Sumo Association, believed to be around 120 million ($1.34 million).

Bruce Sheppard, the founder of the New Zealand Shareholder's Association, has criticised the board of Tower under Beyer's chairmanship over the setting of directors' fees and the payment of retirement allowances.

Ms. Kitadai, who graduated from Keio University, chose the plan that pays her the retirement allowance portion of her total benefits package but allows her to participate in programs for housing loans and other company-sponsored investment options.

The average family in 1989 had US$76,500 in savings, a figure far short of what was needed to cover the living expenses for retired individuals, although official pensions and retirement allowances did help cover the financial burdens of senior citizens.

Therefore, for the leadership of the FDLR, the movement is both a structure that protects them from a life in prison and a vehicle that allows them to acquire enough wealth to purchase a new identity, home and retirement allowance.

Compared to the $35 billion Britain pays for its defense and the $31 billion spent by West Germany, Japan spends $30 billion, which would total $41 billion if Japan calculated military expenditures the same way as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization does, including retirement allowances and other related expenses.

He added that calculating benefits for the retired educators is more complex than it is for other city workers, who have not been experiencing these problems, because about 70 percent of the educators invest their contributions in several types of funds, and part of those educators' monthly retirement allowance fluctuates based on their investments' market performance.

Ms. Kitadai was among the 31 percent of new employees who opted for "Plan B," which pays out retirement allowances along with the semiannual bonus but allows participants to invest in various company savings plans at attractive rates, take part in the company's stock purchase plan and qualify for special loans for their children's education and scholarships.