Japan is ageing faster than any other country in the world, boasting one of the highest life expectancies. Women typically live to 87 and men to 81. Almost 40% of its population is over 60, a figure expected to continue expanding as the population shrinks. Couples in Japan now have an average of just 1.3 children – far below the 2.1 children societies need to remain stable.
Japan once placed its elderly at the top of the social hierarchy, even holding a national holiday to honour their contributions to society. But no longer: Fumio Kishida, the country’s prime minister, recently said the ageing population poses an “urgent risk to society”. Announcing a new government agency to address the issue, he said: “Japan is standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society.”
