July 1, 2026
Akahata ‘current’ column (excerpts)
The endless depreciation of the yen has pushed up prices. The number of food items that have seen price increases this month exceeded 2,500. The trend of passing on higher costs linked to the Middle East conflict to consumers continues.
The Cabinet Office’s latest white paper on aging society carried the results of a survey of people aged 65 and over in Japan, the United States, Germany, and Sweden. The survey results found that nearly 40% of respondents in Japan said they want to continue engaging in paid work while over 75% of those in the other three countries said they do not want to work. This may indicate that Japan has a high percentage of elderly people facing financial hardships.
Younger generations are just as anxious about what lies ahead. It is said that more and more young people are thinking that death is not something far away and are even considering how to prepare for the end of their lives. Surprisingly, one in four people in their 20s said in a recent survey that they had have already started end-of-life planning.
Commenting on this, experts point out that witnessing the reality of numerous deaths caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, war, and other causal factors, many young people have come to terms with an early death as a reality.
The endless depreciation of the yen has pushed up prices. The number of food items that have seen price increases this month exceeded 2,500. The trend of passing on higher costs linked to the Middle East conflict to consumers continues.
The Cabinet Office’s latest white paper on aging society carried the results of a survey of people aged 65 and over in Japan, the United States, Germany, and Sweden. The survey results found that nearly 40% of respondents in Japan said they want to continue engaging in paid work while over 75% of those in the other three countries said they do not want to work. This may indicate that Japan has a high percentage of elderly people facing financial hardships.
Younger generations are just as anxious about what lies ahead. It is said that more and more young people are thinking that death is not something far away and are even considering how to prepare for the end of their lives. Surprisingly, one in four people in their 20s said in a recent survey that they had have already started end-of-life planning.
Commenting on this, experts point out that witnessing the reality of numerous deaths caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, war, and other causal factors, many young people have come to terms with an early death as a reality.
