The rapid rise in theft by elderly people has caught the police and Justice Ministry off guard. A Justice Ministry report revealed that over 30,000 people over 65 were convicted of theft in 2007, with crimes by the elderly in 2008 rising to the highest level ever.

Most were convicted of shoplifting. Already surmising the problem two years ago, the government budgeted ¥8.3 billion for new prison facilities for the elderly.

Even more surprising is that most of those nabbed for shoplifting said they were motivated more by loneliness than by need. Nearly one-quarter of the elderly charged with shoplifting told police that feelings of isolation, not economic necessity, were the main reason they stole from stores. Others cited a lack of motivation in life and general frustration. Forty percent of those convicted said they lived alone and 50 percent said they had no friends. Unsurprisingly, arrests of the elderly spiked during the last two New Year holiday seasons.

Loneliness mixed with the economic downturn, higher premiums for health insurance and cuts in social welfare is devastating. Already, the elderly have nearly the lowest income levels of any group in Japan, but with no means of increasing their fixed incomes, the elderly are often financially, as well as emotionally, trapped.

Solutions are not easy to come by, but seem to have been left out of most recent campaign rhetoric. The elderly, who increasingly live alone, need community centers, stable pensions, senior discounts and easy access to medical and health treatment. The need for social connectedness and community is especially crucial for those who grew up in a different social environment than the current one. Respect for the elderly and a strong sense of community may no longer be part of Japanese social values. If so, that is a terrible loss. But if those values still remain, they need practical backing.

The Japanese refrain for the famous Beatles song "Eleanor Rigby" might now come out as, "Ah, look at all the lonely people shoplifting." Assuring the security and contentment of an increasingly large segment of Japan's society should be given greater priority and much greater sensitivity.