National / Media | MEDIA MIX Nov 23, 2019
Overuse of Japan's medical system may be complicating treatment
by Philip Brasor
One of the criticisms of the “Medicare for All” government-run health care scheme proposed by U.S. Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren is that eliminating all limits to treatment would lead to "overuse" of the medical care system, meaning people would be ...
Business Nov 22, 2019
'Smart cities' urged to look beyond rich white men and target those in need
A growing push to put cities on a digital path to a greener future risks excluding groups like the poorest, disabled and elderly, and will fail to benefit those people unless technology is used to help meet their needs, rights advocates have warned. They also ...
National Nov 21, 2019
Japan aims to offer subsidies to elderly drivers for cars with safety systems
The government plans to subsidize the purchases of cars with extra safety functions for those age 65 or over as part of steps to reduce traffic accidents, sources have said. Up to ¥100,000 will likely be provided per new vehicle equipped with an automatic braking ...
National / Social Issues | 2010s: Decade in Review Nov 16, 2019
The gray wave: Japan attempts to deal with its increasingly elderly population
by Alex K.T. Martin
Eighty-one-year-old Sachiko Miura wakes up at 6 a.m. every day to prepare breakfast at her newly renovated apartment located near a large supermarket, spa and a hospital in the suburbs of Japan's third largest city. After cleaning her room and doing her laundry, she takes ...
National / Crime & Legal Nov 12, 2019
Amid favoritism uproar, ex-top Japan bureaucrat, 88, referred to prosecutors over deadly crash
Police on Tuesday referred to prosecutors the case of an 88-year-old former senior bureaucrat who was involved in a Tokyo car crash that left a toddler and her mother dead and prompted many elderly Japanese to surrender their driver's licenses for fear of causing ...
Business / Corporate Nov 6, 2019
Panasonic Corp. will start a business developing housing for the elderly next spring in China, featuring houses equipped with health care-related home appliances and nursing care devices, company sources said Wednesday. Panasonic will make the new housing business a pillar of its new operations in ...
Business Nov 6, 2019
Despite Japan’s quest to go cashless, nation’s growing elderly population proves reluctant
by Tetsushi Kajimoto and Izumi Nakagawa
Cash is king in Japan, and more so for the country's fast-aging population who are still deeply reluctant to give it up. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to make more Japanese — the world's most dedicated cash-hoarders — switch to using cashless payments is producing ...
National | Regional Voices: Tohoku Nov 1, 2019
Typhoon Hagibis shows challenges of evacuating Fukushima nursing homes in disasters
Powerful Typhoon Hagibis, which ripped through Japan on Oct. 12 and brought flooding and landslides to Fukushima Prefecture, has left at least 27 senior group homes and nursing homes in the area damaged or flooded. As of Oct. 15, there were no reports of deaths ...
National / Science & Health Nov 1, 2019
Japan Finance Ministry proposes raising out-of-pocket medical costs for those 75 and over
The Finance Ministry on Friday proposed cutting official medical service fees and raising the proportion of medical expenses paid by patients themselves, with the aim of improving the financial condition of the country's health insurance system. The proposals, intended to hold down social security costs ...
World Oct 28, 2019
In Spanish town, Pokemon Go keeps senior citizens fit and staves off isolation
by Sophie Davies
At first, when she retired from a lifelong career in nursing in her native Spain, Joanna Perez Osuna struggled with a lack of purpose. Then she found solace in a virtual world populated by "Pikachus," "Weedles" and "Smeargles." Perez started playing Pokemon Go, the augmented-reality ...