In the late 1980s, high (although declining) rates of suicide among older people and the continued existence of temples where one could pray for quick death[1] indicated that this ideal was not always fulfilled.
Responsibility for the care of the aged, bedridden, or senile, however, still devolves mainly on family members, usually daughters-in-law.
[3] Not only do many elders wish to stay in the workforce to fight off psychological and physical health problems,[4] they are motivated to participate in societal activities or have hobbies, leisure activities and "ikigai" - which roughly means "purpose of life" - to avoid their worst fears of becoming a burden to their families.
[2] The active elder population also gives way to a growing consumer market ranging from leisure and education to healthcare and housing.
Although the REPRINTS network relies heavily on demand of the schools and the initiative of the volunteers, the experience created has major impacts on both the young generation and the elderly themselves.
While the students are having a refreshing change to their ordinary school day with exciting cultural stories, beneficial improvements in health were found among elders who volunteered intensively.
[4] This type of voluntary program can be a possible answer to promote society involvement, life fulfillment and healthy activities for the elderly population of Japan.
Those robots that are specifically designed to assist elderly people are also known as carebots, and their development has been heavily funded by the Japanese government.
At the corporate level, problems include growing personnel costs and the shortage of senior positions.
Because government social security payments normally begin at age 60, workers are forced to find reemployment to fill the five-year gap.
And despite mandatory retirement policies, many Japanese companies allow their employees to continue working beyond the age of 60, although generally at reduced wages.
People over 60 continue to work for varied reasons: to supplement inadequate pension incomes, to give meaning to their lives, or to keep in touch with society.
Some companies, specifically small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) have incorporated various adaptations such as making workplaces barrier free, reallocating work tasks, and establishing "elderly-oriented 'improvement systems'" kaizen in order "to ensure the motivation and performance of elderly workers through various adaptations of their work content and environment".
Because the system was designed to reward long service, payment rose progressively with the number of years worked.