On the background of the unprecedented rapiding ageing of population and mass retirement of baby-boom generation, Japanese government revised the Elderly Persons Employment Security Act in 2004 to stabilize employment opportunities for elderly persons. The revised Act obliges employers to ensure emploment opportunity until 65 years of age through one of the following means: (1) rasing the retirement age, (2) introducing a structure for continued employment, or (3) abolishing the retirement age. This paper examines the measure for ensuring elderly employment until 65 years of age with regard to its background, basic contents, current situation, and related issues in Japan. After examining and evaluating the measure for ensuring elderly employment in Japan, this study compares the socio-economic circumstances for designing and introducing the measure for extending elderly employment between Korea in 2010 and Japan in 2005-2007 when the measure for ensuring elderly employmen started to be implemented in Japan. Based on analysis of the statistics and literature review, this paper reaches to a tentatively conclusion that Japan in 2005-2007 had more favorable socio-economic circumstances for implementing the measure for extending elderly employment than Korea in 2010. Also, this paper suggests some implications for improving the socio-economic circumstances for implementing the measure for extending elderly employment in Korea.