The central and local governments should begin concrete efforts to build an effective network so the transition from caring for the elderly in special nursing care facilities to caring for them in their own homes will go smoothly.
Babies comfort the elderly, and moms benefit as well
The moment the babies, cradled in their mothers' arms, entered the room, a round of cheerful "oohs" and "aahs" gushed from the elderly whose faces until then had been expressionless. Some smiled and some opened their eyes wide as they looked at the babies. "Adorable!" ...
Japan Post Co. said Monday it will begin offering support services for the elderly in October by making use of its mail delivery network, stepping beyond its postal, savings and insurance businesses for the first time. The nominally privatized mail firm has a nationwide network ...
A government panel's report on social welfare reform includes many issues that must be resolved, including how to cut costs without compromising the quality of health care.
Long-living Japanese society needs better 'quality of death'
A quarter of a million bedbound elderly people are kept alive in Japan, often for years, by a feeding tube surgically inserted into their stomach. A few months ago, my 96-year-old grandmother became one of them. Feeding tubes are so common in Japan that ...
The number of people aged 65 or older caught shoplifting in Tokyo has been rising, with the elderly outnumbering those 19 or younger in 2012 for the first time since 1989, when officials started compiling comparable date. Police officials believe shoplifting by the elderly is ...
Number of elderly households in Japan hits record high in 2012
The number of elderly households marked a record high of 10,241,000 in 2012, a government survey showed Thursday, another sign of the graying of Japanese society. The figure accounted for 21.3 percent of households in Japan, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. The previous ...
Elderly homeowners and needy lodgers could be a perfect match
The practice of young people becoming lodgers in the homes of elderly people is undergoing a revival, thanks to the rapid aging of the population. Sachio Yamamoto, 83, accepted Shusuke Kondo, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Fukui, as a boarder in his house ...
The number of workers aged 60 or above averaged 11.92 million in 2012, setting a record high for the sixth straight year, according to recently released government data. The average number of elderly employees last year increased by 170,000 from 2011, accounting for 19.0 percent ...
Overseas voyages by retirees include more than a few shipwrecks
In 1986, shortly before the beginning of Japan's "bubble economy," a department in the former Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) announced a plan named Silver Columbia 92. The project encouraged Japan's private sector to develop "silver towns," communities abroad that would attract large ...
