Let them die: the Japanese solution to an aging society

[Garbarsardar]

Aging Japan

The aging of Japan is thought to outweigh all other nations, as the country is purported to have the highest proportion of elderly citizens; more than 20% are over the age of 65 today.[1] In 1989, only 11.6% of the population was 65 years or older, but projections were that 25.6% would be in that age category by 2030. However, those estimates are updated at 23.1% (as of February 2011) are already 65 and over, and 11.4% are 75 and over,[2] now the world's highest (though 2010 Census age results have not yet been released). This change, referred to as kōreikashakai (高齢化社会),[3] will have taken place in a shorter span of time than in any other country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aging_of_Japan

Today, Taro Aso the Japanese finance minister, proposed a radical solution to the problem: elderly should hurry up and die.

"Heaven forbid if you are forced to live on when you want to die. I would wake up feeling increasingly bad knowing that [treatment] was all being paid for by the government," he said during a meeting of the national council on social security reforms. "The problem won't be solved unless you let them hurry up and die."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013...p-die-japanese

After all it was their choice not to commit sepuku at 65...

[Dr Zoidberg]

The best thing about Taro Aso is that if you say his surname with a bad Japanese accent, it sounds like ':wub:'.

[craziii]

The best thing about Taro Aso is that if you say his surname with a bad Japanese accent, it sounds like ':wub:'.

oh god, is this true? that is just too funny.

[The Despondent Mind]

Makes sense to me .

[Sir Winston Churchill]

He should probably follow suit, he doesn't look so young to me.

This reminds me of an old story, possibly even Japanese (or Chinese, who are still full of wise stories), about a little village that sent all the old people to die in the mountains...

[Captain Arrrgh!]

He should probably follow suit, he doesn't look so young to me.

This reminds me of an old story, possibly even Japanese (or Chinese, who are still full of wise stories), about a little village that sent all the old people to die in the mountains...

Well? Don't leave it as a cliffhanger, what happens?
They eat each other?
Fornicate and repopulate the earth?
Become transhuman killer cyborgs?
Piss and moan about DLC's and Steam?
What?

[Sir Winston Churchill]

Well? Don't leave it as a cliffhanger, what happens?
They eat each other?
Fornicate and repopulate the earth?
Become transhuman killer cyborgs?
Piss and moan about DLC's and Steam?
What?

Hmm, I guess I overestimated how many people knew the tale. I figured it was a common one. Anyway, I can't remember the story in full, but pretty much one day this one boy hid his grandma away even though the town had made it law, to ease the burden of the village, that all people once they reached elderhood would be carried off into the mountains and left to die. At some point the village was attacked by bandits, or something and I think they said if the people could figure out a puzzle they'd all get to live. Well the old grandma knew how because of her time as a girl or some , blah blah, basic moral of the story is old people are important to society too in their own way.

I happen to agree.

I know this makes be a bit of a hypocrite, but I don't think you should go around killing old people.

Oh dear... that's sig worthy! Can I make the 'be' a 'me' so it makes more sense?

[eizo]

He should probably follow suit, he doesn't look so young to me.

This reminds me of an old story, possibly even Japanese (or Chinese, who are still full of wise stories), about a little village that sent all the old people to die in the mountains...

Now i am gonna spend my entire day thinking about what happened with the old people in the mountains

[removeduser_4536284751384]

Now i am gonna spend my entire day thinking about what happened with the old people in the mountains

They formed a splinter village which eventually grew into a people. Ghengis Khan would end up thier leader, the the original village was an independent Tartar one.

[Dragus]

He should probably follow suit, he doesn't look so young to me.

This reminds me of an old story, possibly even Japanese (or Chinese, who are still full of wise stories), about a little village that sent all the old people to die in the mountains...

Ubasuteyama, unless I'm mistaken.

This is a very unfortunate and disturbing suggestion. I would normally attribute it to nonsensical and misguided pride induced by an excessively conservative fiscal society, but in this case the individual in question saying it doesn't appear so young himself. Not to mention he is supposed be part of an acting body of leadership.

[Sir Winston Churchill]

Ubasuteyama, unless I'm mistaken.

Hai, that's the one!

[Hazzard]

I do agree with what he says when it comes to, if they want to die let them. It's a problem in many countries where the elderly are in a lot of pain and are tortured by being forced to stay alive when on life support. Tales like that man who could only communicate by looking at a keyboard's keys come to mind and as far as I know, he's still like that.

[The Dude]

Isn't that the same as what Dr. Cox said in the Scrubs pilot? "Modern medicine, keeping people alive who should've died a long, long time ago."

I agree with Taro in the sense that the developed world has an obsession with living. A lot of old people don't care for life as much as their younger doctors do. My 92 year old grandma can barely walk and talk anymore and has often expressed that dying would be nice, yet she's being given every possible comfort to ensure she wakes up again the next morning.

[I WUB PUGS]

Isn't that the same as what Dr. Cox said in the Scrubs pilot? "Modern medicine, keeping people alive who should've died a long, long time ago."

I agree with Taro in the sense that the developed world has an obsession with living. A lot of old people don't care for life as much as their younger doctors do. My 92 year old grandma can barely walk and talk anymore and has often expressed that dying would be nice, yet she's being given every possible comfort to ensure she wakes up again the next morning.

Doctors think themselves gods, who are you to question the gods?

[Ludicus]

I agree with Taro in the sense that the developed world has an obsession with living

Taro in an idiot,
"I see people aged 67 or 68 at class reunions who dodder around and are constantly going to the doctor. Why should I have to pay for people who just eat and drink and make no effort?"
--
His aspiration, as economics minister in 2001, to make Japan a place where "the richest Jews would want to live"

[Timoleon of Korinthos]

Well, there is so much of a retired to active workforce ratio that an economy can sustain. I suspect the Japanese pension system is pay-as-go, whereby those currently employed pay the pensions of those currently retired. There only three ways to deal with this problem given the demographic parameters, increase the employee's/employer's contributions the insurance organisations, increase the retirement age or decrease the pensions. It's a harsh truth, but there is no other way around it, and the worse the workforce to pensioners ratio becomes the more each of these three factors needs to be stretched. And that's just about the pensions they receive, if we take into account their impact on healthcare system, which probably is disproportionate the difficulties exacerbate.

Now, if we want to be fair, we have to eradicate the possibility that retired individuals receive more from social welfare than their life-time contributions (ironically, in Greece the exact opposite is taking place), especially when the discrepancy becomes unsustainable due to demographic dynamics, and from what I understand this is the sentiment this guy is expressing. So I think a viable alternative would be to make the transition to a funded-pension system, where those currently employed save for their own pensions according to their own planning, and infuse more of a benefits principle approach into the taxation for public healthcare so that those who use it more get a larger share of the burden. Then each one can be responsible for himself.

[NosPortatArma]

There's probably not much that can be done about this, other than legalising euthanasia.

[Himster]

The traditional Japanese cure for old-age is self inflicted starvation, one of the most popular spots for this is Aokigahara Forest in the shadow of of mount Fuji, it has been used for this purpose for at least a thousand years.

[Raubritter]

German politicans and even the head of the medical council said this also, that old people should just die off. Sozialverträgliches Frühableben.. Its a failure of the retirement system. People get taxed the hole life and when they haven't enough left when they are old, the young people should feed them. No thanks Grandpa, someone voted for that Austrian Guy a Time around your age.

The traditional Japanese cure for old-age is self inflicted starvation, one of the most popular spots for this is Aokigahara Forest in the shadow of of mount Fuji, it has been used for this purpose for at least a thousand years.

I wanna make camping someday in this forest. Looks like the swamp where Luke Skywalker meets Yoda, Dagoba or something was the name. Maybee i find some skulls and keep them.

[Sir Winston Churchill]

German politicans and even the head of the medical council said this also, that old people should just die off. Sozialverträgliches Frühableben.. Its a failure of the retirement system. People get taxed the hole life and when they haven't enough left when they are old, the young people should feed them. No thanks Grandpa, someone voted for that Austrian Guy a Time around your age.



I wanna make camping someday in this forest. Looks like the swamp where Luke Skywalker meets Yoda, Dagoba or something was the name. Maybee i find some skulls and keep them.

This post makes me want to vomit because I live on the same planet as the poster.