Japan's revised insurance law leads to raft of new policy options
There is strong demand for new inexpensive, short-term insurance plans, ranging from landlords' death coverage to medical policies for foreign tourists. Sendai-based Prevent SAST Insurance Co. offers a legal-expenses plan named Mikata. It was introduced in response to increasing numbers of people seeking legal support ...
Financial misconduct by legal professionals acting as guardians hits record high
The number of cases of financial misconduct by legal professionals serving as guardians for people suffering dementia or intellectual disabilities hit an all-time high of 37 in 2015, a Supreme Court survey obtained by Kyodo News showed Wednesday. Financial damage totaled some ¥110 million in ...
Firms filling needs of graying population's aging pets
As the Japanese continue to age, so do their pets. Improvements in animal rearing and care have seen pets living longer, prompting the creation of new businesses that cater not only to the elderly, but to their animals as well. Tokyo-based Seikatsu Kagaku Un-Ei Co., ...
Suicides fell for a sixth consecutive year in 2015, dropping 5.5 percent from the previous year to 24,025, the National Police Agency said Friday. Suicides related to the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis came to 23, up from 22 in 2014, with 19 ...
Nurse Sayaka Yamasaki, 37, drives her car down a narrow road to visit an elderly patient who lives alone in the mountains of Shikoku. "How are you feeling? Have you been experiencing any change in your health?" She then video calls a doctor at the ...
Number of Japanese households on welfare hits record high in December
The government announces the number of households living on welfare hit 1,634,185 in December, up 1,965 from November.
Ministry, Mikawaya21 test drone to deliver food to rural Tokushima elderly
The transport ministry tested a drone in Tokushima Prefecture on Wednesday to deliver parcels containing food items to elderly households in sparsely populated areas. The test was mainly targeted at elderly residents who have difficulties going shopping, and was conducted jointly with Mikawaya21, a Tokyo-based ...
At 77, veteran 'fashion concierge' looks to keep elderly women stylish
Reaching retirement age is no reason for relinquishing one's sense of style, a Tokyo-based fashion expert advises her older female clients. "Women have beautiful features even when they get old, but most lose confidence as they age," Sachiko Kawabe said. "I want them to have ...
Kanazawa retirement community a relocation-from-Tokyo success story
With its artistic traditions and preserved traditional neighborhoods, the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, has long been known as "Little Kyoto." But over the past year, it has also been seen as a potential model for future continuing care retirement communities, or CCRCs, nationwide. About ...
Toshima Ward survey finds a fifth of residents willing to be resettled in Saitama
The Tokyo ward is accelerating moves to promote the resettlement of healthy seniors in Chichibu, where plans to create a retirement community are underway.
In contrast to their heyday, video game arcades in cities are turning into social hubs for the nation's elderly, replacing traditional community centers and day care facilities. Experts say the trend reflects the fact that elderly people are increasingly bored with activities at traditional facilities, ...
Growing old, gracefully: senior citizens in the workplace
For Eiji and Kumiko Ishikawa, the working day starts as early as 5 a.m. Having loaded the requisite equipment into their van, they set off for their first job of the day, a 14-story high-rise in western Tokyo. They unload mops and brushes, roll out ...
