NEWSWORTHY
Golden oldies: A Saitama theater festival for elderly actors welcomes seniors from around the world
Renowned theater director Yukio Ninagawa broke new ground when he launched Saitama Gold Theater in 2006. Instead of seasoned actors, he filled his troupe with amateurs who were all older than 55. Now, nearly 100 groups of senior-citizen actors can be seen across the country, ...
Over a fifth of Japan’s population is now 70 years old or older, the government says to mark Respect for the Elderly Day.
In long-lived Japan, survey finds 20-year-olds don't want to live into their 80s
A survey has found that young Japanese in their 20s don't want to live into their 80s — a startling revelation in a country where the life expectancies for both men and women routinely rank among the world's highest. Men and women between 20 and ...
Run Tomo event takes steps toward building a dementia-inclusive Japan
As scorching heat shimmered off the tarmac and licked at runners' sun-kissed faces, an elated crowd erupted into deafening cheers Sunday morning in the city of Chiba at the stroke of 10. A total of 204 people, including 10 people with dementia, were participating in ...
Japan's shut-in elderly men more likely to suffer from undernourishment
Elderly men who go out less than once a week are more likely to suffer from undernourishment than those who leave their house more often, a 2017 health ministry survey revealed Tuesday. There was little difference in the nutritional status for elderly women, regardless of ...
Hyogo elder care service hires nonprofessional soccer players to work at its facilities
An elder care provider in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture, has hired 10 members of a local soccer team to become nursing care staff, a move that is attracting attention as a way to provide semiprofessional athletes with a stable income and ease the labor shortage ...
Elderly women to bear the brunt of Japan's spending cuts
As Japanese society ages and the government cuts social welfare spending, older women are bracing for the impact. "The only people who can enjoy living until 100 are those who have enough money and family," said Setsuko Betsui, a 78-year-old woman living in Saitama, who ...
Fifth death confirmed at Japan hospital after air conditioning fails
A fifth elderly patient in Gifu Prefecture has died at a hospital where air conditioning units had broken down amid a heat wave that has gripped the country.
Four die at Japan hospital after air conditioning fails amid heat wave
Four elderly patients at a hospital in Gifu Prefecture have died after the air conditioning unit in their rooms broke down amid a heat wave that continues to grip the country, police and the medical institution said Tuesday. Y&M Fujikake Daiichi Hospital, however, denied that ...
Will society still need me, will it still feed me, when I'm 100?
Back in the 1960s when Paul McCartney wrote "When I'm 64," the average life expectancy worldwide was 52. Yet half a century on, Japan is already gearing up for the era of 人生百年 (jinsei hyakunen, 100-year life).
Japanese favoring Western-style gravestones for their cost and sturdiness: industry survey
The number of people who purchased traditional Japanese-style gravestones has halved over the past 14 years but Western-style memorials remain popular options, and those with designs unique to the deceased have experienced a sharp rise, according to an annual industry survey. This year's survey by ...
Ministry to raise priority of fixing elevators at housing units for elderly
The infrastructure ministry is considering requesting that in times of disaster, such as earthquakes, stalled elevators in housing units where many elderly people live be added to the priority list of those that need to be brought back online as quickly as possible, sources ...
