Ageing Japan: The burden of a graying planet | 101 East
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- Japan faces a demographic crisis. Its population is falling rapidly due to an ageing population and declining birthrates.
In two decades from now, seniors will outnumber children under 15 by nearly four to one. The situation is now so critical that adult nappies outsell baby nappies in the country.
Japan's overall population fell by a record quarter-million to 127.8 million last year, and by 2060, the population is expected to fall by an additional one-third to as few as 87 million. And 40 per cent of those remaining will be over 65 years old.
The demographic decline has led to a spike in social problems and 'kodokushi', or "lonely deaths", which is a Japanese phenomenon that came about in the 1980s, is now growing increasingly common.
Four million Japanese elderly live by themselves, while family members who choose to care for an elderly relative often experience isolation and a burden themselves.
As the country ages, the Japanese government must ensure an ever dwindling workforce can pay for a growing number of pensioners.
Japan hopes to raise consumption tax by five per cent and the retirement age to 70 years to ease pressure on the social security and pension system. But those who work in hospitals and services for the elderly believe the country will have to embrace immigration to plug gaps in the workforce.
Yet, Japan's ageing pains are creating commercial opportunities for some: Companies are exploring new technologies to capitalise on an emerging market they call the "silver yen", including androids that can work as carers and robotic legs for patients who are too old to walk themselves.
On this edition of 101 East, we ask if Japan can overcome being a rapidly ageing and declining population.
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The 100 year old walking to visit her big sister...WOW!
And she has d cutest laugh ❤❤
legends
At first I was like "wow", but by the time the second sister came around, I had nothin' left.
The love the woman showed toward her mom that she was caring for at home was touching. Society has to continue to step up and improve the lives of the elderly. We all get there someday.
Basically cried through out this whole video remembering how an emotional roller-coaster it was taking care of my father.
When the little old lady sated singing it was cutness overload !^^
103 and still doing garden work incredible
My grandmother lived to be 106, and not a cane or wheelchair. We pay into the pension, so just give us a shot, when you do not want us anymore. If I have Alzheimer, then I prefer death.
Don't worry Japan, I feel your pain. As a 60 year old from Australia, our generation are known as the "baby boomers" and our parents were told to populate the country. It was the same for England, America, Canada, etc. What they actually wanted, was a huge group of people to work for the elites and to build up their companies. They never really cared about the Western nations. Now, they are also making us work longer as well. Keep smiling Japan. The elderly from other nations are with you.
These elderly people work harder than our young people in America....😳
In japan adult diapers are now outselling baby diapers!! 😮
Because work is the only thing that keeps them alive.
That's definitely not true. All the work is hard. It's just a different kind of work and I wish people would STOP with the country comparisons.
This is a harsh reality to face. Despite the fact that we will all age (if we're lucky) and die (without a doubt) it seems Japan is facing this 1st world problem first and in a dramatic way. It will be interesting to see how they deal with it and what changes and new knowledge will come from it. I can say for sure, though that this is what a society gets for following an economic vision based on endless upward growth in a finite world. I think the world in general will reach a point where they simply have to restructure economics and the system in general to accommodate reality.
The system is also flawed cause people dont get enough kids mostly 1 so that 1 kid takes care of 2 parents and possible 4 grandparents.
The only solution is living a healthy life and families that stay and life together across generations and a couple also getting 2 kids so we dont go extinct. I will try to start this again with my kids and grandkids.
The idea using cheap immigration worker is also flawed since those are missing in their own country and if the other countries get wealthier there is no that much cheaper country in future.
very heart breaking
😭😭😭😭😭i just wanna cry and care for all of them!!!i would love to drink tea with that old lady and make friends with her😭😭 this is so sad I was gonna be a scientist when I get my scholarship to college but this just makes me want to be a a nurse that takes care of old people😭😭
you are a nice person
Mclovin Grool same we should drink tea with all of them.
all issues created here are created just by that small bunch of idiotic selfish ppl. too bad they have too much power and we cant do much...
Don't give up being a scientist, but also remember to try to improve the lives of the elderly and homeless. You must be strong and not feel overwhelmed. Blessings to you always.
You are such a sweet girl !
I think, taking care of the elderly is a truly wonderful and meaningful thing to do. Eventually I’d really like to start volunteering at retirement homes and such.
THE AGING IS NOT A BURDEN BUT A BLESSING. How would we have learn without them. They are living historical books. Live. Love.laugh.
I am tired of always seeing the negative side of ageing and old age...most old people (who mostly have worked very very hard) still contribute to society doing voluntary work taking care of grandchildren giving a wise point of view onto this crazy world..they are our memory they assure continuity...the increase of elderly people is a succes a miracle we should be proud of NOT A BURDEN!!! what is unsustainable is to see how rich people get richer and how great corporatiin are able not to pay taxes and get along with it...
Well said. But this stupid and superficial way of thinking is still carried on and on by the media.
Mikel Amatria Getting old is not a crime. Those who have no compassion, they, too be old someday and will experience the cruelty of their doing. Most of us work very hard and did our best. I live in US and was a single mother working 15 hours a day for many years and raised three children. All of my children grown up to be good human beings....that I am most grateful. I hope I would not be burden to my children. I am still working at 73 and will stay active/independent as long as I can.
Mikel Amatria well said, we have to think and act in a human way, or else we are doom to perish in brutal conditions.
Well said! I once met a woman from a country where the people almost never survived the age of 50. When she saw that the people in Europe were so old as 90-100 years she became very happy because she had never seen such old people before and thought she soon should die when she was in the age of 40! Long life gives hope!
TH-cam should implement a system whereby you are unable to comment unless you've actually watched the video. The story is more than about the aging of Japan, but a greater issue of the elderly everywhere. It doesn't matter if you are in Japan, America, Europe, Africa, there will always be the elderly. If you listen to the stories it raises some very interesting moral and social issues that will confront humanity as a whole as we evolve, if we evolve.
awesome program. Thank you.
I wonder why Japan does not have elderly homes for aging adults or day cares for mothers who don't want to have to quit their jobs if they get married and then have children. If the Japanese would see day cares as suitable options then maybe more women would have children.
I love my children but I also value working and contributing to our household financially so my kids go to private school/daycare where they get to socialize and learn to cooperate with other children and adults.
carmay3600 I imagine what ever elderly homes they have are full But part of why they live so long is because look how active they are even at 100 still struggle to walk regardless of her age.still walking to the shop etc ...
What you dont want to do in old age is start relaxing and taking easy because your start forgeting things your brain will slow down and your joints seize up and that will happen at some point but the more your on your feet and keep moving the better chance holding that off coz that is all you can do prolong.....
Wanna stay young be less active when your young and consume half of the calories that is recommended do not drive every where is big key part to it ...and when your older exercise more stay more active be it by learning new skills ...
All so look at china as well many of there ageing do more exercise as they got older lots of stretching and slow movements ..very similar to yoga exercise ....
But even after all that there is still genetics at play as well and state of mind and ability to learn and what you eat and how active you stay ...
These key points i think is the key living longer one the reasons no one can really say what the key to long life is because its not one thing its many a collective thing
That was a point of contention recently when the Japanese government encouraged women to work, many protested and told them to increase childcare facilities. They wanted to reap the benefits of women contributing to the economy but didn't seem to know their needs.
Them having still such a rigid structure, and not family friendly invironment like way too long working hours. And women are expected to marry relativly wealthy people, which puts a huge dumper on potential families that happens to lead to less children. The virtue that the family cares about itself is really hurting in that aspect. But that is just my opinion. And fathers may never get to see their child but work all the time.
Living in Japan now, my experience is that the old people are the true gems of the country! They are incredibly kind, present and gentle. They are willing to communicate and have dropped a lot of the social norms that can prevent a quick and deep bond, as is sometimes the case with the younger generations!
Don't get me wrong, it's not that the younger people around my age are bad (20-30's) it's just that the old people here are truly remarkable! Long live the oba-chans and Oj-sans!
@Irohs Slipper. A blessing to read your post, may you live a long life and may you be a blessing to the youth the same way they bless you and me today! Greetings from sweden
why not have the seniors who are able to help raise the 30k children in orphanges in Japan?
I'm sorry but no electronic thing is going to take the place of human interaction!!!!
A computer with human level intelligence or greater, with a humanoid body?
Being the introvert, give me a robot seal and koala over a human. Also, if it came that point I'd take the electric bed nappy changer over the indignity of someone doing it for me.
Could also pass the time having proxy robot seal fights with other seniors!
The older people can interact with each other if they have neighbors. The "electronic things" can take the elderly to visit each other.
Beautiful Karen. Thank you so much from the bottom of an old mans heart. It's nice to see caring people in this world.
thanks, that was actually a little educating
A very touching video.
I live in the USA. Our economy is recovering. The unemployment is still high but it's not that high compared to the start of the crisis.
Our economy is growing, foreclosures is going down, home sales are rising, consumer spending is strong, construction is up, manufacturing is up, etc
Our economy is doing well, a lot better than Europe
Robotics is great and all, but it is not the answer to everything. It is a means to an end and will never replace human interaction and care.
Some day , they may be all that's left.
Hi I am from Bangladesh thanks for this excellent video these people make. Me. Proud. Stay safe and. Be. Happy
Retirement is not for everyone. I'm one of those people who would want to work till my last breath. I agree with Soba noodle chef that working makes someone healthy. That's why I was so leery when my work was bugging for a pension which is an alternative if for whatever reason, I cannot work.
people working til old age are taking jobs away from young people who need them
That was my intention, until cancer came calling.
Got any geo notes for me?
cool video I got a lot of information from it!
This is your reward for staying alive for too long when most of your friends , neighbors and kins are gone . Such that it is becoming lonely and only the memory of long ago is what is left.
The Nagano woman is impressively healthy, and that Japan has one of the largest average life expectancies in the world helps, too. Further down the list, Ukraine's average life expectancy is barely above 70, and Russia's is under that. It helps that Japan is not one of the most heavily alcoholic countries in the world (and hurts that Russia and Ukraine are among the most alcoholic countries in the world).
Ukraina is hella polluted , i am not surprised their life expectancy is that low. dictatorial stress ain't helping either.
What a great job you guy's are doing
Japanese engineers are pretty competitive and always in demand in the job market... I have to be candid with you... once they go out of their company... they are immediately get hired by south korean companies like samsung...
Death is like being put to sleep. Nobody really fears being put to sleep or die. They're afraid of the process in dying. That's what scares people. Pain can either be numbed drugs or by meaning in life. Life is full of pain, which can only be masked by meaning in life.
The rise of the east Asian nations is base on the population bonus. Now all the population in east asia is ageing.
***** Bellow replacement will never happen to India because they are very religious. They believe that children are from God and children take care of them once old
India is very different than China....China is an atheist state India religious with 150 million Muslim. I do agree that people are having less children but that will not effect India population for at least 100-300 years. India will never have population problem
The story of the pitiful elderly man with dementia, that has delusions that a family is coming to visit him, and sometimes comes to himself realizing that it's not real, and he is totally alone with no one, and in poverty, is so sad. His mind is trying to cope with it. I can see how it can happen, my brother and I now have not one person. We have no one, no family, no friends, literally not one person in our lives. I have been here 5 yrs, not one visitor as a friend. Where I left, Murfreesboro, TN, no phone calls, no friends, no visitors. My child stopped coming in 2014, and I didn't get to see her very often prior to that. I have not seen her in around 7 yrs. I saw her one time for a few hours in 2015. It's been so long now, she is no longer our family, and is just wrote off as not coming back. I suppose that we should begin focusing on life alone, how to pass the time with no one, as we have had to do for a long time now.
In Europe, the immigration itself is rarely the real problem to anything, people simply need scapegoats, and they tend to choose immigrants. It has been this way for centuries.
You are a wonderful woman for taking care of your mum..x
tears are not a burden but love we all should act like with love and respect for our elder ones--------
It seems rich people have less children and the poor always have more. I don't quite understand it but that's how it seems all over the world even in the US. I would love someone to explain why that is??
I don't know I no poor people that are selfish, I know rich people that are selfish I have noticed that more well to do people aka "movers and shakers" put their parent's in a home and forget about them because in their mind their to important to leave the economy or theirs never anouf they can gain, and on the flip side poor people have more kids because their hoping for that golden child , so they go for numbers but that is very selfish.
+sam milone individualistic people usualy have less kids Germany and european countries that are more individualistcs and they have the lowest fertility rates, and not all western developed countries have low rates Argentina is a developed countrie with 97% white and they have a fertility rate of 2,3
poor people have more kids because the more kids you have, you'll get more support when you r old, or the kids can help in their family farms.
Budi Ang
Not really, if raised wrong.. it could go the other way around. Having kids is a two edge sword. A healthy lifestyle is the key.
@joey. im talking from the poor parents perspective. of course not all the poor kids going to stay poor forever. one or two of their children may have a successful and decent life.
This is why you should have children and treat them right. Eventually, you may need them.
Japan is not getting weaker. Just a bump in the generational flow. The only thing that would weaken Japan is to sacrifice their Japanese roots, just for temporary economic gain. As someone else said, be to stay among one's own.
increasing the population just for the benefit of retires is the wrong way to go. ultimately the population will find a new equilibrium, and everything will balance out.
were addressing the issue but please no publicity.
I'm close to 65 and I can't associate myself with getting old. I'm not old.
I don't know what I'll do yet but I don't want to impose on my son or daughter. As a professional carer, I know how challenging it is.
I think getting that old : near or beyond 100 is a curse.
I think it's still better for Japan to have some old people who are willing to work than to suddenly lose them. Their economy would really crash if those old workers are gone since they accept so few immigrants.
In japan adult diapers are now outselling baby diapers!! 😮
Teacher got me watching this for AP Human, hope this interesting
This is really sad.
Robots can't replace human carers.They would probably be too expensive too for most elderly people.
The two sisters ♥️♥️😍😍🥰🥰
Japans ageing problem is going worldwide. An even bigger question is, who wants to live that long? I had rather be tied to a tree in the woods than be put in an old peoples home, where beatings, robbery and shakedowns are commonplace and putting parents in such a place is cruelty.
Japan is over populated and experiencing population adjustment process in peace, no more no less. Japan will be fine and healthier in the future.
how beautiful .... her love shines x
The senior that works in Disneyland never wants to retire 😂
He looks happy and daily interaction with people and being outside seems to help a lot. Seems like a really good job once you are old and no longer need to climb the ladder.
A lot of immigration works quite well for Germany at the moment. The birth rate of women is about the same as in Japan, but in comparison to Japan there are a lot of people, educated as well as less educated, coming to Germany to live here. Thus the decline in population is far less dramatic.
In the US, we put grandma in a nursing home and never visit. Not much different than the Japanese feeding the bears.
It's far worse in South Korea.
+John Oh South Korea is more willing to take in immigrants. This helps to make up for the baby shortfall significantly. However, the Japanese insist on an "only Japanese society." This is why the South Korean economy is still booming while Japan is slipping into mediocrity.
50% of south Koreas elders live in poverty. they have the hughest suicide rate among elders in the world.
Because they do not give pension.
If they don't give pension i guess that eases the burden on the state. For a newer regime, would a solution be to make the working age people contribute to their own pensions etc, invest it and pay it back out to them in future. That way each generation finances their own care instead of it being supported by future generations and means population contraction would not be so disastrous.
This is happening now, not in the future.
Also we know that the happiest and best countries for all are wellfare countries. People dream of scandinavia.
AI to keep the elderly company :( Oh Lord this is so sad. Their children just do not care?? really?
Like a bionic *pet*
Is it just me or did he say that with some contempt?
You know, even though I feel bad for those elderly people who have to live alone, I can't help but admire their tenacity. They live day to day, even if they wish for friends or feel lonely, they perservere. We really can learn a lot from the elderly...
Sad... the children should insitit their parents aren't a burden. Their diapers were changed by their parents they should do the same. The robots would be a good help, but only assisting existing human care.
The problem is parents that need 24/7 care. Earning a living and caring for your own family aside, that burden is immense.
In japan adult diapers are now outselling baby diapers!! 😮
I absolutely hate that you use the term “burden”
@linda fox, Indeed I agree with you! Aging is not a 'burden', but the most natural thing in the Universe which itself as well as the planet is very old!
if you are watching this as homework, use playback speed 1.25
thanks bro
Sad man but this will be the new norm .
God bless those younger people taking care of their elderly. Children should care for their parents. They took care od you all those years ago. They deserve the respect, care and love.
America is now powerful not because of"every immigrant will turn into Einstein", but because her plentifulness in natural resource and cheap labor of early days. That incited a huge investment in the country's industry, then the income from those investments was poured into it's research and high education sector. That's how America has developed new ideas for over a century.
Who ever says that every immigrant turns into Einstein?
I don't know how it works in Asia, but I can't name a single industrialized country that actually sees their immigrants as potential Einsteins.
It's unfortunate that you cannot see the importance of globalization in this day and age. Imagine a future where you can go anywhere and face no discrimination, where there is no idea of a "master race", where there is peace. Integration is the future and thank cooperation among nations for it. This is coming from someone who loves Japan and its fascinating culture.
I hope the government addresses this problem well...
Good
03:52 HEAVEN EXISTS...pray for the elderly. God bless them.
They (carers) seem a lot kinder to the elderly than many other countries.
What are some of the political,social, and economic consequences, including the dependency ratio of an age if population?
The example of the woman at the end is SO TOUCHING.....as adults, we have forgotten most of the burden and the hardships we put our parents through, when we were little. They took care of us, fed us, clothed us, and now it is our turn to care. "We have advised the human being, "Be kind to your parents. Do not obey them if they force you to consider equal to Me things which you do not know are such." You will all return (to Me) and I shall show all that you have done." chapter 29 v. 8 qur'an.
What is the song used when they are interviewing the man at the Disney park?
You don't "solve" an aging problem. This is an unprecedented phenomenon that we have not seen in history, to the best of my knowledge. It is unique to the late 20th and 21st century.
One hopes that the young people may find a way to rebuild after the demographic sledgehammer comes down on them and the welfare state falls apart. But the only thing that is assured is a paradigm shift. Once the burden of a dwindling workforce is finally too much to bear, we will see where the chips will lay.
Preservation of a culture is important. I think the best solution is incentive for having children as a civic duty. Immigration is fine as well as to supplement this approach long as there as there are strong measures to ensure assimilation, or temporary visas. There is strength in cultural cohesion, not diversity. There is nothing wrong with racial diversity, that is fantastic - and not the same as cultural diversity. My boyfriend and I are an interracial couple, and his heritage is celebrated in our home but we subscribe to the culture of our country foremost and he his a strong advocate for assimilation. Preserve history, tradition and values
In japan adult diapers are now outselling baby diapers!! 😮
Is this a true fact or just a joke? I'm curious
Here is a story about a man who gave birth to japan, he, after conquering all the land of asia, sat by the rivers edge, and said, the war will not come.
nah my country is only small, with only few natural resources. Still we became one of the biggest economy in the world.
Actually, this is what underpopulation looks like. Overpopulation would have the majority being youths, not elderly.
One of the problem is that the younger generation is sick of Post-War Japan's family ideology. A man's future is to work as a salaryman pandering to their bosses who encourage them to ignore their families for the sake of a possible promotion. A woman's fate is to quit their careers when married and become single parents to the children of their absent husbands.
No wonder 50% of young people in Japan age 20-25 are single and never planning to get married...
That looks quite similar to the situation Germany has at the moment. And it's not a big problem at all.
The problem is not underpopulation, it is having a large portion of the population not working, thus not paying taxes.
I understand that you don't want immigration in Japan. But you shouldn't call non-Japanese people 'Shitty'. Not a nice thing to say.
''Retirement'' is a rather newly invented Western conception. In the old days in Western nations, people didn't retire, either. They had to live till the last day. ''Retirement'' is not equal to stop learning new things and having new experience. Until the last breath we take, we learn and experience something new. ''Retirement'' is a mental and emotional killer. It's the same state as giving up and becoming inactive. The mental and emotional death is guaranteed when one retires. You have to live till the last day. So, what is wrong with becoming and keeping active, enjoying things one cannot do while preoccupied with earning money and keeping family afloat. Retirement is an obsolete word. ''Life long learning'' is highly encouraged and practised in Japan. Who wants to be bored and die miserably???
The thing is, here in America, we welcome people of all races. Yes, Native Americans have suffered a lot but you have to look at history, that was a completely different time. Smallpox and imperialism devastated them. We live in the 21st century and the world has changed A LOT. Native Americans are now doing better than ever. Mass immigration is important today and it will help a country in the long run. We live in a globalized society and we have to accept people of all races. We're all human
this is what a successful country should look like.
no sarcasm.
here from school work :(
(cont2)
Comparing Japan with countries like USA in evaluating the merit of immigration is also misguiding. Japan is small, with sorely limited natural resources, racially homogeneous country. If you want to know how immigration works for countries like Japan, it is more reasonable to compare Japan with some middle to small sized European countries. And from what I read , see and hear, people from those European countries is not happy about the current situation in their countries(immigrants).
such a steep drop is gonna do a lot of harm to their economy
HA! that'ss a done deal dude. Between the Koreans Chinese Africans and Brazilians , Iranians and South Asians I'd say that ship has sailed. Not to mention they have a huge military base right smack in the middle of thier country...
9:32
Yeah you should have thought that long ago
Well since elderly people already paid into that to have it why don't the government officials take a pay cut rather than the elderly who paid in for their care needing to take a pay cut
Racism is the primary problem of multiculturalism. Encouraging people to stick with their own people and be completely distinct in the name of being "multicultural" rather an assimilating and absorbing from others around them. It's a strange idea that seems to work against its own goals.
i was relatively speaking.
YES EVEN 85 years old ARE STILL able besides doing so CAN MAKE elderly ones healthy too
Japan has the right idea 🙏
Japan has done the right thing by maintaining their culture and homogenous population. We're all up shit's creek without a paddle regarding this financial crisis that will get much worse before it gets better. At least in a homogenous nation, you can work together to achieve common cultural goals after a disaster when order has broken down.
Multiculturalism is sustained only by economic growth. Without that facet, conditions will devolve into an "us vs. them" mentality not seen since WWII.
Well, that sucks for Japan.
Kasayo looks very good for a centenarian.
For those of you calling Japan racist: is South Africa racist for not wanting nonblacks in the country? What about middle eastern countries who don't take well to people outside of their group?