Tag - elderly

 
 

ELDERLY

The government has approves expanded disaster relief to better support the elderly and people with disabilities during emergencies, including armed attacks.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 29, 2025
Japan expands aid for the elderly and people with disabilities in emergencies
There have been concerns about some evacuees dying due to their health deteriorating after evacuation, and the need to strengthen protections in the event of armed attacks.
Among elderly people age 65 and over, the share of single-person households jumped from 5.0% to 12.1% between 1995 to 2020.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 27, 2025
Use of deceased's person's savings for cremation allowed without heirs' consent
The move is aimed at reducing the financial burden on municipalities, which have often shouldered burial or cremation costs.
The average life expectancy of Japanese citizens in 2024 is 81.09 years for men and 87.13 years for women, according to the health ministry.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 25, 2025
Japan's average life expectancy in 2024 almost unchanged from 2023, data shows
The life expectancy of Japanese men was sixth globally in 2024, while that of Japanese women remained in the top spot.
The Virtual Expo app lets users navigate a digital version of the 2025 Osaka Expo site by controlling avatars.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 24, 2025
Virtual access brings Osaka Expo to broader audience
The Japan Association for the 2025 World Expo hopes to bridge the "experience gap" for those who wish to visit but are unable to make the trip to the site.
The government is trying to make it easier for companies to develop services in the fields of nursing care and elderly support services by promoting cooperation with local governments.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 23, 2025
As Japan grays, government looks to aid public-private cooperation in nursing care
The initiative is aimed at making it easier for companies to develop services in the fields by helping them understand demand in each region.
Fauja Singh waves after finishing a 10 kilometer run in Hong Kong in February 2023.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 16, 2025
'World's oldest marathon runner' dies at age 114 in road accident
India's Fauja Singh died after being hit by a vehicle in Punjab state's Jalandhar district on Monday.
Takuya Nakagawa, a physical therapist at Anamizu General Hospital, checks on residents in a temporary housing unit in Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on June 20.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2025
Noto’s elderly residents face higher medical costs after 2024 quake
The trend has raised questions about how an effective support system can be set up for residents, whose prolonged displacement is also wearing them down mentally.
The Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 29, 2025
Care worker arrested over sexual abuse of woman with dementia
The abuse was discovered while police were investigating the case of a different person who had died at the same group home for the elderly.
By pioneering stem cell therapies, Japan is not only treating disease but also seeking to rejuvenate a nation grappling with aging and decline.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 20, 2025
Japan is helping lead the way in regenerative medicine
In pristine labs across Japan, scientists are tinkering with the architecture of regeneration.
A growing number of consumers, particularly people in their 50s and older, are seeking advice on troubles involving social media.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2025
Social media user worries swell to record level in Japan
Consumers in Japan sought advice on social media-related problems in a record 86,396 cases in 2024, an annual government report showed Friday.
SMBC Nikko Securities has already introduced a family trust system under which relatives can act as agents for older customers for their investments.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 12, 2025
New securities system enables those with dementia to invest with family's help
Under the system, investors can designate trusted family members as their agents while they are still mentally capable.
More and more older Japanese people are joining health clubs, with Pilates becoming a popular form of exercise.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 11, 2025
So long, gateball. Japan’s seniors are ready to work those core muscles.
Japan’s seniors are trading gateball for Pilates, chasing strength, stability and a new kind of aging — with core control.
New data from the National Police Agency shows patterns in where dementia are found after going missing, and how best to locate them.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 8, 2025
491 dementia sufferers found dead in Japan in 2024
Many who were declared missing were later rescued thanks to GPS or other tracking devices attached to their clothing.
The first blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, which is made by Fujirebio Diagnostics, a unit of Japan’s H.U. Group Holdings, was cleared for people 55 years and older who exhibit signs and symptoms of the disease, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.
WORLD / Science & Health
May 17, 2025
FDA clears first blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease
The test made by Fujirebio Diagnostics, a unit of Japan’s H.U. Group Holdings, was cleared for people 55 years and older who exhibit signs and symptoms of the disease.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a Cabinet meeting in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 16, 2025
Pension bill makes it to parliament after two-month delay
Internal resistance from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party toward certain proposals in the draft bill led to the delay.
Liberal Democratic Party executives at a General Council meeting on Tuesday at the party's headquarters in Tokyo
JAPAN / Politics
May 14, 2025
LDP approves pension reform legislation
The government aims to adopt the legislation at a Cabinet meeting Friday and submit it to the current session of the Diet, the country's parliament.
Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
May 12, 2025
What comes after 100?
The number of Japanese centenarians is on the rise, providing new models for how to live in a super-aging society.
Deceptive contractors prey on elderly homeowners and pressure them into signing contracts by making claims such as, "If you leave it unchanged, your house will tilt."
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
May 8, 2025
Japan struggles to crack down on home renovation scams
A senior police official said the rise in fraudulent renovation work is largely due to a legal loophole over small-scale construction work.
The health ministry and some municipalities are turning to spot workers to solve the labor shortage in the nursing care industry.
JAPAN / Society
May 5, 2025
More nursing care facilities in Japan embrace 'spot work' amid labor shortage
The demand for care providers is expected to rise to around 2.4 million by fiscal 2026 and about 2.72 million by fiscal 2040.
A survey by a labor union of home care business operators and care managers found that nearly 90% of facility managers had turned down service requests at least once during the past year, citing insufficient staffing.
JAPAN
May 5, 2025
Worker shortage forcing home care providers to turn away clients, survey finds
In the survey, 19.3% of care managers said some older adults are being left without any care at all due to a worker shortage.

Longform

A mushroom cloud from the atomic bombing on Hiroshima taken from a U.S. military aircraft on Aug. 6, 1945. Copying the photo without permission is prohibited.
80 years on, a Japanese American hibakusha recalls the day the bomb dropped