elderly

National Jul 30, 2019

Life expectancy of Japanese women and men continues to rise in 2018

Japanese women and men retained second and third place in their respective rankings for average life expectancy around the world in 2018.

National | FOCUS Jul 29, 2019

Despite winning more seats in Upper House vote, Komeito officials worry about losing support

Komeito boosted its presence in the House of Councilors in the latest election, but a sense of crisis among party officials has deepened as the number of votes it acquired under the proportional representation system fell by more than 1 million compared to the ...

Commentary / Japan Jul 25, 2019

The real policy challenges facing Japan

by Haruaki Deguchi

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe must place priority on resolving several major policy challenges confronting Japan before he tries to revise the Constitution.

National Jul 25, 2019

Japan to conduct tests for prospective caregivers in four Asian nations this fall

Japan will conduct tests in Cambodia, Nepal, Myanmar and Mongolia this fall for prospective caregivers who want to work in Japan under a new visa program, according to government officials. The labor ministry said last week that the exams, aimed at securing more workers in ...

National / Science & Health Jul 11, 2019

'Smart plastics' and new devices help Japan age gracefully

by Masumi Koizumi

Mitsuhiro Ebara believes plastic sheets called "smart polymers" may one day prove to be a cheap solution to curing cancer. Cancer is known to respond better to the simultaneous use of hyperthermia and chemotherapy, and Ebara, a researcher at the National Institute for Materials Science ...

Business / Tech Jul 10, 2019

Japan eyes innovation in effort to curtail traffic accidents by elderly drivers

Japan is turning to technology to help prevent traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers in the country, a growing problem as the population ages. Orix Auto Corp. offers a service that enables senior citizens to measure their abilities behind the wheel via personal computers and ...

Business / Corporate Jul 9, 2019

Spritely seniors in Japan signing up to deliver on foot for Uber Eats

by Takahiko Hyuga

Uber Technologies Inc.'s strategy for Japan, where ride-sharing is banned, is as unique as the country itself — think grandma in running shoes delivering ramen noodles. Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi was in Japan last week to stress the importance of the market, where the ...

Business Jul 2, 2019

To keep boredom at bay, more Japanese retirees are starting up their own business

An increasing number of newly retired people are starting up businesses, using their wealth of experience and knowledge while taking advantage of government loan programs. A cafe run by Yoshiaki Sato, 65, in a housing complex in the Wakaba area in Tachikawa in west Tokyo ...

National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Jun 29, 2019

As dementia cases rise, so a nation's character changes

by Michael Hoffman

"Your mother is senile, senile, senile!" The family was dining at a restaurant. Mom had gone to the rest room and Dad, in anguish, faced his two grown children. Sawako Agawa — TV personality, journalist and author — recalls the scene for Bungei Shunju magazine ...

Asia Pacific / Social Issues Jun 28, 2019

Model senior citizens: Older South Koreans take to the catwalk and YouTube

Boasting a beard and gray wavy hair, 65-year-old Kim Chil-doo glared into the wall, poised and confident, as he practiced his runway walk among young, pin-thin models at an academy in Seoul this month. Kim became South Korea's first senior fashion model last year, realizing ...