Friday May 25, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Missing centenarians cause angst in aging Japan

By Shino Yuasa

Commentary Aug. 18, 2010 - 01:34AM JST ( 15 )

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15 Comments

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kazanAug. 18, 2010 - 10:07AM JST

Instead of centenarians, police are going to find hundreds of relatives scamming Grandpa's or Grandma's pension checks.

I find it impossible to believe that nobody realized that Sogen guy was dead for 32 years. I can understand one or two years, but 32?!
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sourpussAug. 18, 2010 - 11:34AM JST

So, by reading between the lines, we're to assume that this is all actually a good thing.
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borschtAug. 18, 2010 - 12:02PM JST

Crime, alcoholism and suicide among the elderly are rising because of low incomes, unstable employment and poor living conditions

The elderly shouldn't be worried about 'unstable employment' especially if they're over 100. The low incomes are a responsibility of the government pension system. Living conditions, well, I've seen occupied 'homes' in Japan that would qualify as a slum in Thailand or Malaysia.

Lack of human contact (loneliness) might also be contributing to alcoholism and suicide - one reason so many older people go to the doctor everyday - to socialize. Once retired, what can older Japanese people do (especially the men who never had a life except for work.)?
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kansaifunAug. 18, 2010 - 05:48PM JST

"Japan has 40,399 people aged 100 or older, according to last year’s annual health ministry report marking Respect for the Aged Day, a national holiday on Sept 21—though that total now may be a few hundred lower."

Ha! That total is now more likely to be thousands lower. This is truly a national disgrace - local governments, families, and the Health Ministry should all be ashamed of themselves!
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tmarieAug. 18, 2010 - 06:25PM JST

Perhaps the government needs to start doing checks on these people who claim pensions? Either go and check in at city hall/ward office or have someone do a home/hospital visit.

As for the old folks worried about being left to die, perhaps if they were nicer to their families they wouldn't be left alone to wither and die?
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HimajinAug. 18, 2010 - 06:54PM JST

Already here in Kobe they've found shiboutodoke for a few. What happened is that some people who died 25 years ago or so weren't added to the system when it became computerized.
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mikihouseAug. 19, 2010 - 10:47AM JST

Yeah, if only some of these old people were nice to deal with but most of the time they are simply just...better the other way of.
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gogogoAug. 19, 2010 - 03:03PM JST

goodbye fabled stats...
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alladinAug. 19, 2010 - 05:36PM JST

Japan has 40,399 people aged 100 or older, according to last year’s annual health ministry report.

How many of them are dead in the other room while their family members collect on their pensions???

I think this count is off because the office that checks on these people dont really thoroughly check at all. That is why they are missing centurions who cant be found.
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biculturalAug. 19, 2010 - 06:31PM JST

That is why they are missing centurions who cant be found

LOL! "Centurions" cannot be found because they haven't been around for centuries! A centurion is the commander of a group of 100 in the Roman army. Perhaps you were referring to a "centenarian."
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jason6Aug. 20, 2010 - 12:05PM JST

Does this even weigh on the consciences of people? You'd expect that the first thing people would do after reading this is to check up on their parents, hopefully..
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DisillusionedAug. 20, 2010 - 02:00PM JST

Angst? I think 'disgust' and 'embarrassment' would be more appropriate. Between this scandal, that fool Ozawa and all the Yak gambling in Sumo nobody will ever believe anything that comes out of Japan anymore. Land of the rising sun??? Land of the rising embarrassment is more like it.
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techallAug. 20, 2010 - 04:38PM JST

How dare these old people cause the rest of Japan angst!
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ikkochanAug. 23, 2010 - 10:42AM JST

This is a good example of why we Japanese need to trash the Family Registry System and develop a reliable ID and something like the Social Security number system, so people can actually prove identity and not who their father is/was.
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alladinAug. 24, 2010 - 03:52PM JST

ikkochan>>> Good luck for that to happen. With all of these corrupt politicians in office, the chances of that to happen is very slim.