Monday 30 September 2019

Japan's Ageless Society

“The general trend of uniformly seeing those aged 65 or over as elderly is losing credibility. The government will review the (current) standardization by age bracket and aim to create an ageless society where people of all generations can be active according to their wishes.” (via)



The General Principles Concerning Measures for the Aging Society emphasise independence, participation and choices of the elderly by, for instance, securing employment and working opportunities, offering ability development throughout their lives, promoting lifelong health improvement and creating a lifelong learning system, promoting the involvement of the elderly in social activities, ensuring stable and comfortable housing and community development for the elderly, protecting them from traffic accidents, crimes and disasters, and promoting research. One goal is to create a society "where people are respected as important members throughout their lives" (via).



Japan's policy on the elderly aims to create an ageless society by giving people the opportunity to choose to start receiving pensions at any time between the ages 60 and 70. There is the target to increase the rate of employment among people aged 60 to 64 to 67% by 2020. In addition, measures to enhance well-being and reduce the need for nursing care and the prevention of isolation are included (via).
“Expansion of the right to choose when to receive a public pension has great significance in our changing society. If individuals can choose to delay retirement and get more money on a monthly basis later in life, it could give them a feeling of security about living longer.”
Yoshikazu Kenjo


"Japan has one of the longest longevities in the world. It is expected that Japan’s population will age even more rapidly and the total population will continue to decline.
Under such circumstances, those who reached their advanced ages nowadays remain motivated to work. Taking into consideration also that their stamina and physical fitness have been improving consistently, it is important to realize a society where people of all generations, including the elderly, can take full advantage of their skills and abilities to play an active role in a range of areas. At the same time, we must provide sufficient assistance and a safety net for people to lead a fulfilling life in their golden years, safely and securely.
Therefore, the new General Principles Concerning Measures for the Aged Society has the following pillars: aim to develop an ageless society where people of all generations can play an active role based on their desires; create local communities where people can clearly envision their livelihoods in the golden years at any stage of their life; and intend to utilize new measures enabled by the achievements of technological innovation to deal with an aging society.
I would like all of you to use this General Principles Concerning Measures for the Aged Society as a guideline for taking steps toward building a Japanese society which provides an environment for people of all generations to lead a fulfilling life, along with the initiatives under the Plan to Realize the Dynamic Engagement of All Citizens."
Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister (2018)

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photographs via and via and via

5 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I hope other nations will follow this model (or come up with ideas for changes that have been long overdue).
      Thanks, Karen!

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  2. I sincerely hope these measures will inspire other nations, particularly those with the notion of an ageing population being a demographic armageddon. Somehow, there is always a (not so) latent reproach about people getting older. This is so absurd.
    Thanks, Kenneth!

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