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Friday June 8, 11:15 AMJapan to become 'unprecedented' aging society: 2007 white paper(Kyodo) _ Japan will become an "unprecedented" aging society in the near future if the current trend continues and needs to utilize elderly people in the labor force, according to a white paper released Friday.In the 2007 White Paper on Aging Society, the government projects Japan is likely to become an aging society unlike any other. According to government estimates, the percentage of people aged 65 or older out of the total population will almost double from 20.1 percent in 2005 to more than 40 percent in 2055. Each elderly person will be supported by only 1.3 working people in 2055, compared with 3.3 people in 2005. In terms of the percentage of the elderly in Japan's overall population, Japan was already the world's most aged country in 2005, overtaking Italy. As specific measures, the white paper recommends promoting employment among the elderly and helping people in their 50s or older shape their post-retirement life plans, emphasizing that it is possible to make an aging society "a more vibrant one." It also urges a shift in people's mindsets to consider elderly people as "invaluable manpower" rather than "people who need support." In addition, this year's white paper shed light on the aging of Japanese baby boomers for the first time, projecting that the number of elderly people will increase by one million every year between 2012 and 2014, when most baby boomers turn 65. The paper notes that the number of households consisting only of elderly people is increasing and that the wage gap among elderly people is widening compared with other age groups. |
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