By Suvendrini Kakuchi
TOKYO, Jun 21 2002 (IPS)

Koji Iwatsuki, 62, retires this month after working

as a technician for the past 40 years at a leading steel company.

“I am looking forward to a new life,” says the tall, muscular man, who

goes jogging at 6 a.m. daily and plays golf once a week.

Iwatsuki will be joining Japan’s largest growing demographic group, the

elderly who now make up 18 percent or 22.87 million of the country’s 127

million population as of October last year, or up 0.6 percent from the

pervious year.

The latest white paper on ageing, compiled by the Cabinet and released

on Friday, adds that the number of elderly people will rise dramatically in

Japan, accounting for 26 percent of the population by 2015 and 30 percent

by 2030.

More important, the report also reveals that Japan’s aged are in good

shape physically and socially active.

Three-fourths of citizens aged 65 or older say they do not have physical

problems that affect their daily lives. For those aged 60 or older, 50.3

say they go out almost daily.

About 90 percent of those capable of driving said they drive two to

three times a week.

“There is no doubt, Japan’s elderly are young both at heart and

physically. I am ashamed to refer to them as ‘old’ these days, ” says

Hiroko Oba, head of the public-funded Foundation for Research on Elderly

and Welfare.

Energetic Iwatsuki and even his 84-year old mother, who lives alone, can

vouch easily for this new image.

Iwatsuki says his widowed mother drives, takes regular trips with her

friends, and has started singing classes. “Despite a bout with a cancer a

few years, she is even more sprightly than she has ever been since her

husband passed away two decades ago,” grins Iwatsuki.

Japan, which boasts of the world’s top longevity, is now grappling with

its fastest ageing society among industrialised countries.

Japan’s Kamata Hongo, 114 years old, became the oldest person in the

world in March.

While she needs help to walk and speak, her daughter reports that she eats

heartily and is in good health.

According to s survey conducted in January this year, the life

expectancy of Japanese climbed from a little more than 79 years previously

to 80.95 years for men. Japanese women live an average 89.22 years, up from

86 years.

The Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry also reports that one in every

20 Japanese females has a high probability of celebrating her 100th birthday.

But analysts point out that there is no need to worry too much about the

quality of life of many elderly Japanese.

Hiroshi Shimada, 64, professor at Obirin University, says that 80

percent of elderly people in Japan can function independently in daily

life. “The stereotyped image of old people as a social burden does not

apply to Japan any more,” he explains.

Analysts say seniors in Japan lead lifestyles that are very different to

their parents following the post-World War ll westernisation of the country.

Mie Maruyama, a social worker, explains that older people are now

spending money

on themselves rather than giving it away to their children in exchange for

being looked after in their old age, according to Japanese tradition.

“There is a growing feeling among the aged that they can no longer

depend on

their offspring. Thus seniors prefer to spend their hard-earned money on

having a good time or saving for a rainy day,” she explains.

According the Health and Welfare Ministry, almost 20 percent of the

elderly in Japan reported living alone, with the majority responding they

liked their independence rather than relying on their children.

The government contends that there will be an increase of old people

living alone or in homes for the elderly, just like in the West.

“The new concept for successful ageing is to help the elderly remain

independent and lead high-quality lives,” says Shimada, who will launch

the country’s first post-graduate course on interdisciplinary gerontology.

Still, Oba says that despite better health, loneliness is bound to be a

leading problem for the ageing in the coming years as more seniors begin to

live alone.

“To combat the issue, we are concentrating very hard on getting them to

socialise. Our annual sports events have been highly successful in this

respect — more than 2,000 participants,” she explains.

Japan is also beginning to wake up to the potential of this market of

elderly people. The over-65 group is at the top of the country’s 11. 3

trillion U.S. dollar savings.

Economists predict that Japan’s elderly will be spending nearly 95

billion dollars a year on new products, home care, and home renovations to

make their lives easier.

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