Category: Elderly

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 4, 2024 Number of comments0
Elderly Japan Technology

Problems Found in 1st Year of Level 4 Self-Driving Service in Japan

Technical and financial problems have been identified in the year since Japan’s first transportation service using so-called Level 4 autonomous driving began in the town of Eiheiji, Fukui Prefecture.

Amid the country’s declining population, Level 4 autonomous driving, or fully automated driving under certain conditions, is viewed as a promising means of transport. The service in the central Japan town, however, has shown hurdles that must be cleared.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 14, 2024 Number of comments0
Elderly End of Life Care Japan

Around 68,000 elderly die alone in Japan annually: police

About 68,000 people aged 65 and over in Japan are estimated to die alone at home unnoticed annually, data collected by the National Police Agency indicated Tuesday.

Preliminary police figures showed 21,716 people nationwide died “lonely deaths” from January to March. Nearly 80 percent of that number, or 17,034 people, were aged 65 and over.

The police agency is expected to continue collecting the data as part of government efforts to tackle the issue, as the country is grappling with a rapidly greying society.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 13, 2024 Number of comments0
2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake Disability Disasters Earthquake Elderly Japan

As society ages, Japan faces challenge in helping vulnerable people in disasters [Mainichi Shimbun Editorial]

How can we support the lives of elderly evacuees in disaster-affected areas? This is a challenge that Japan faces as a whole as its population ages.

Four months have passed since the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in central Japan. In the Okunoto region that was hit directly by the quake, close to half of the residents are seniors. Elderly care facilities that have supported the welfare of local residents also sustained major damage.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 24, 2024 Number of comments0
Disability Elderly Health Japan Welfare

Japan Health Insurance Premium Rate to Hit Record High

The average premium rate at corporate health insurance societies in Japan is projected to hit a record high of 9.32 pct in fiscal 2024, according to the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies, or Kenporen. Reflecting an increase in contributions to the medical care services for the elderly, the rate is expected to rise 0.05 percentage point from the previous year, which ended in March, the group of health insurance societies for employees of large corporations and their families said Tuesday.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 19, 2024 Number of comments0
Crime Elderly Japan Travel

5 Years On, Japanese Man Remains Resolved to Eliminate Accidents

A Japanese man who lost his wife and daughter in a high-profile accident involving a runaway car driven by an elderly man five years ago says he hopes to “leverage (through dialogue) the victimizer’s experience to prevent traffic accidents.” 

The bereaved man, Takuya Matsunaga, 37, is slated to hold a meeting shortly with the elderly man, Kozo Iizuka, 92, who is serving a prison term over the incident.