Elderly people in Japan are committing crimes so they can go to prison

For most of us, it is hard to imagine a life without our family – especially in our older years when the excitement of having the grandkids around can sometimes be overwhelming. Sadly for the elderly people of Japan, it is extremely common to live alone without family or friends.

Japan has the world’s oldest population with more than a quarter of its citizens, 65 or older. This aging population has put a strain on many of Japan’s big institutions including their prisons.

According to data media site Bloomberg, complaints and arrests that involve the older generation have risen dramatically and it is the women in particular, that are the most likely to commit a petty crime. Currently, one in five Japanese women in prison are senior citizens and nine out of 10 of these women were convicted of shoplifting.

These startling figures have left many questioning why these otherwise law-abiding citizens are turning to theft, especially in a community known for its tradition of taking care of elderly parents.

According to Bloomberg times are changing and the younger generation no longer has the hardline view on parental duty it once did. Statistics reveal that from 1980 to 2015, the number of seniors living alone increased to almost 6 million, that is six times what it was in 1980.

In 2017, a government-funded Japanese survey revealed that half of senior citizens caught shoplifting live alone and that 40 per cent of them don’t have family or rarely speak with relatives. Many revealed to reporters at Bloomberg that they liked the sense of community prison afforded them and that on the outside they had been lonely and unhappy.

Evidence from a 2013 report by the National Police Agency also suggests that the rise in senior crime is due to the increased economic hardship of the aging population and a hospital system that is buckling under the pressure.

This is a similar concern for Australians of all ages, with may fearing our hospital system won’t be able to cope with the aging Baby Boomer generation. Many from the medical community have already spoken out pleading for more funding and staff.

In February, many state government leaders expressed their disappointment at a public hospital funding agreement Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull presented to them. The agreement showed no increase in funding but rather a continuation of the current interim agreement. This agreement would see the Commonwealth continue to pay 45 per cent of the cost of hospital funding growth, with a 6.5 per cent cap on spending growth, until 2025.

Can you understand where these Japanese people are coming from? If you became homeless suddenly would it be something you might consider?