Japanese man, 71, arrested for 'making 24,000 complaint calls'
A Japanese retiree has been arrested after ringing a phone company 24,000 times to complain they had violated his contract, police and local media reported. Tokyo police said they took 71-year-old Akitoshi Okamoto into custody last week after he made hundreds of toll-free calls over ...
New state funds proposed to help hospitals dump excess beds amid soaring medical costs
The finance and health ministries are thinking of setting up funds in each prefecture to support private hospitals trying to rid themselves of excess beds that are driving up medical costs, it has been learned. The idea calls for setting up a fund in each ...
The transition from Heisei to Reiwa came at a relatively peaceful time, with the nation's crime rate falling to a postwar low in 2018, an annual white paper released Friday by the Justice Ministry has shown. But the paper also said the 30-year Heisei Era ...
Japanese health ministry draws outrage for 'inconsiderate' poster on terminal care
The health ministry's attempt to use comedy to encourage people to discuss hospice care options with their families in advance fell flat with the public and was criticized as being in poor taste, prompting its withdrawal. The poster, released Monday, was meant to promote a ...
More effective measures must be taken to reduce accidents by elderly drivers.
Japan mulls expansion of pension coverage to include more part-time workers
The government is considering incorporating more part-timers into the employee pension program by requiring companies with smaller workforces to participate, according to government sources. Currently, companies with 501 or more employees must enroll in the kōsei nenkin program. Under the plan being considered, that threshold ...
Overuse of Japan's medical system may be complicating treatment
One of the criticisms of the “Medicare for All” government-run health care scheme proposed by U.S. Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren is that eliminating all limits to treatment would lead to "overuse" of the medical care system, meaning people would be ...
'Smart cities' urged to look beyond rich white men and target those in need
A growing push to put cities on a digital path to a greener future risks excluding groups like the poorest, disabled and elderly, and will fail to benefit those people unless technology is used to help meet their needs, rights advocates have warned. They also ...
Japan aims to offer subsidies to elderly drivers for cars with safety systems
The government plans to subsidize the purchases of cars with extra safety functions for those age 65 or over as part of steps to reduce traffic accidents, sources have said. Up to ¥100,000 will likely be provided per new vehicle equipped with an automatic braking ...
The gray wave: Japan attempts to deal with its increasingly elderly population
Eighty-one-year-old Sachiko Miura wakes up at 6 a.m. every day to prepare breakfast at her newly renovated apartment located near a large supermarket, spa and a hospital in the suburbs of Japan's third largest city. After cleaning her room and doing her laundry, she takes ...
